Comet Holmes (17P/Holmes),on 14 November 2007 in the constellation of Perseus,as seen by the CHFT (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope). By this point,the spherical coma had swollen to a diameter of over 1.4 million kilometres (larger than the Sun),following the outburst that took place in late October. The coma is a dusty cloud shining in reflected sunlight. The coma surrounds a central nucleus that is only 3.4 kilometres across. It is thought that a fragment broke away from the comet and disintegrated to produce this large bright coma that is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Comet Holmes is a short-period comet,with an orbit of only 6.9 years. It was discovered in 1892 by the British astronomer Edwin Holmes | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Cuillandre, Jean-Charles / Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope |
Bildgröße: | 6300 px × 5869 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |