WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Enigmatic Comet Holmes

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Earth position
comet position
coma
tail
tail spread
telescopic view
orbit diagram
On October 24, 2007, a fairly inconspicuous comet known as 17P/Holmes that was fainter than Pluto suddenly brightened to be easily visible to the naked eye and nearly as bright as Algol, the brightest star in Perseus.
The appearance of a comet varies when viewed from Earth. Use the controls to see how Comet Holmes looks through a telescope.