Comet 17P/Holmes, seen once in seven years, has made its appearance in the sky coinciding with annual celestial event - the Leonid meteor shower.
MUMBAI: Astronomers have every reason for double celebrations this Diwali. Comet 17P/Holmes, seen once in seven years, has made its appearance in the sky coinciding with annual celestial event - the Leonid meteor shower. Comet 17P/Holmes is already visible in the north-east skies for the past few days and will only become brighter as it gets closer to the sun in few weeks.
Estimated to be at a distance of about 7,000 lakh km from us and 25,000 times fainter than the faintest visible star, it is now visible because of its current location between Jupiter and Mars. The light reflecting from these two planets has added to the glow of the comet, making it 40,000 times brighter. As it gets closer to the sun, it will not only become brighter, but also develop a prominent tail.
Astronomers in the city have been observing the comet since the last few days. Though earlier it was faint, a spectacular eruption has brightened it during the past 24 hours making it visible to the naked eye. Discovered by Edwin Holmes on November 7, 1892, the comet takes seven years to complete a revolution around the sun.
Astronomer Bharat Adur of Akash Ganga Centre for Astronomy, Mumbai, said that the comet forms a golden, fuzzy ball in the constellation Perseus after sunset. “The tail of the comet is formed due to gravitational force of then sun. Comet 17P/Holmes would develop a tail later in its journey around the sun,” Adur said. The eruption of the comet may signify a break-up of the comet’s core, exposing a rich vein of ice. “At present the comet looks more like a star than a comet but as it gets closer to the sun it will become brighter,” Adur said.
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