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--Apple-Mail-12--730245341 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed If you haven't had a look at Comet Holmes recently, this may be a good night to have another look, especially in your binoculars. It has not shifted much; it still forms a nice triangle with the same two Perseus stars (Alpha and Delta Persei), nicely up in the NE between 7 and 8 p.m, by midnight the triangle is nearly overhead. The apparent diameter of the comet has expanded to nearly 2/3 of the Full Moon diameter. In a dark sky and with the observer having dark adapted eyes, a faint tail is now beginning to be visible in a pair of 10 X 50 binoculars. Holmes is 1.6 AU away from us (13 minutes at light speed = 13 light- minutes away). Its actual diameter as we see it in binoculars is a bit over 1 million km. Also, if looking at the comet with binoculars, I suggest a look at the star field that includes Apha Persei (the bright star just above Holmes). The bright group of stars form a nice "S" pattern (tipped over to the right). This is a beautiful cluster of associated stars, including Alpha Persei, known as Melotte 20. The group is in the order of 550 light years away. If you are in a dark location you will also notice that the Milky Way (the equatorial view of our galaxy) extends up from Perseus and angles to the northwest. Located in the Milky Way, just a bit above Perseus and to the left is a group of 5 bright stars that form, sort of a "W" tipped side ways to the left. This is Cassiopea. If you scan between Perseus and Cassiopea, along the line of the Milky Way, you may see a fuzzy patch of light. Certainly it is very noticable in binoculars. This is the Double Cluster of Perseus. These are two open star clusters, each containing between 150 to 200 suns. The clusters are about 7000 light years away. This is just a bit of the interesting piece of sky Comet Holmes finds itself in. Sherman Sherman Williams shermw@xcountry.tv > > --Apple-Mail-12--730245341 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">If you haven't had a look at = Comet Holmes recently, this may be a good night to have another look, = especially in your binoculars.=A0 It has not shifted much; it still = forms a nice triangle with the same two Perseus stars (Alpha and Delta = Persei), nicely up in the NE between 7 and 8 p.m, by midnight the = triangle is nearly overhead.=A0 The apparent diameter of the comet has = expanded to nearly 2/3 of the Full Moon diameter. In a dark sky and with = the observer having dark adapted eyes, a faint tail is now beginning to = be visible in a pair of 10 X 50 binoculars.<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Holmes is 1.6 AU away from = us (13 minutes at light speed =3D 13 light-minutes away). Its actual = diameter as we see it in binoculars is a bit over 1 million = km.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Also, if = looking at the comet with binoculars, I suggest a look at the star field = that includes Apha Persei (the bright star just above Holmes). The = bright group of stars form a nice "S" pattern (tipped over to the = right). This is a beautiful cluster of associated stars, including Alpha = Persei, known as Melotte 20. The group is in the order of 550 light = years away.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>If = you are in a dark location you will also notice that the Milky Way (the = equatorial view of our galaxy) extends up from Perseus and angles to the = northwest.=A0 Located in the Milky Way, just a bit above Perseus and to = the left is a group of 5 bright stars that form, sort of a "W" tipped = side ways to the left. This is Cassiopea.=A0 If you scan between Perseus = and Cassiopea, along the line of the Milky Way, you may see a fuzzy = patch of light. Certainly it is very noticable in binoculars.=A0 This is = the Double Cluster of Perseus.=A0 These are two open star clusters, each = containing between 150 to 200 suns.=A0 The clusters are about 7000 light = years away.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>This is just a bit of the = interesting piece of sky Comet Holmes finds itself in.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Sherman<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"><DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; = font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: = normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; = -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; = -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Sherman = Williams</DIV><DIV><A = href=3D"mailto:shermw@xcountry.tv">shermw@xcountry.tv</A></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV><BLOCKQUOTE = type=3D"cite"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: = separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: = Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; = font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; = text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: = 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><FONT = face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2"></FONT>=A0</DIV><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></= DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-12--730245341--
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