Comet 17P/Holmes

Last week, a nearly unprecedented outburst has raised Comet 17P/Holmes from a 17th-magnitude object visible only through large telescopes into plain view without optical aid. The comet lies in Perseus the Hero and will remain visible all night from most of the Northern Hemisphere.
To read about this comet and to see a chart showing its position, click here.

On October 25, Martin Ratcliffe imaged the comet from his home in Kansas (see photo).