Comet 17P Holmes

I heard about this comet a couple of weeks ago, but it was only observable by high power telescopes, because by the naked eye it was just a spec. The other day something neat happened: the core had an explosion, which forced a large cloud of dust and vapor around it larger than Jupiter. So, now, you can see it with the naked eye, and even better with binoculars. The kids and I went out last night and found it right away. If you know where the constellation Perseus is, look to the left of his leg, or use this map. This is in the Northeast sky just after total darkness. Photo courtesy Philippe Boeuf.