Comet 17/P Holmes, the Moon and Mars
By Carlos Hernandez
I was treated to a rare (at least these days in South Florida with our cloudy weather and tropical storms nearby) clearing of the heavens over the northern sky on October 30, 2007 (07:20 U.T.). I was able to view Comet Holmes (17P) in Perseus (~3.8 degrees from Alpha Persei (Mirfak, 1.78 m)) and I was impressed with the brightness of this interloper (Comet Holmes is currently estimated at magnitude 2.0). Capella (0.06 m) in Auriga was shining brightly nearby. The Waning Gibbous Moon (19.5 days old) was visible towards the east within Gemini close to a brilliant reddish-orange Mars (-0.58 m). The view was facing south and looking upwards (North at top and east to the left).
A digital image produced in Corel Painter X.
The best of luck in your own observations of this interesting comet.
Carlos
Carlos,
This is a great panoramic capture.
Frank