Post by pegleg on Nov 14, 2007 23:50:57 GMT -5
Comet Holmes is visible in the night sky, just barely with the naked eye in areas with dark skies. Best viewed with binoculars or a small telescope. With low power binoculars, the comet will appear to be a fairly bright, round greenish cloud, about half the size of the moon.
To find it, at about 8PM your local time: face north, looking for the North Star, Polaris. You should see the constellation Cassiopeia about 60 to 80 degrees above the horizon. Cassiopeia looks sort of like an sideways "W", made up of 5 stars. Comet Holmes will be to the right (East) of Cassiopeia, about 20-30 degrees away. Just scan that area with binoculars - the comet will be obvious. At midnight, the comet will be nearly directly overhead (for most people in the US), and should be easier to find then.
To find it, at about 8PM your local time: face north, looking for the North Star, Polaris. You should see the constellation Cassiopeia about 60 to 80 degrees above the horizon. Cassiopeia looks sort of like an sideways "W", made up of 5 stars. Comet Holmes will be to the right (East) of Cassiopeia, about 20-30 degrees away. Just scan that area with binoculars - the comet will be obvious. At midnight, the comet will be nearly directly overhead (for most people in the US), and should be easier to find then.
