A comet recently spewed out a cluster of mini comets in a huge outburst that was the largest ever witnessed by astronomers.
A team of researchers began observing the comet 17P/Holmes in October 2007, after it was reported that the object, about 2.2 miles wide (3.6 km wide), had brightened by a million times in less than a day.
UCLA researcher Rachel Stevenson and colleagues noted multiple fragments flying rapidly away from the comet's nucleus. They continued observing for several weeks after the outburst using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii and watched as the dust cloud ejected by the comet grew to be larger than the sun.
More: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090915-mini-comets.html (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090915-mini-comets.html)
Interesting.
I wonder if the individual jets in this digitally enhanced image of mine are due to those fragments?
(http://www.markshelley.co.uk/Astronomy/holmes_jets_20071031.jpg)
If I go back to my original data and apply a Laplacian filter instead of a rotational one I might be able to tease out better detail.
(From the 0.3 meter, Shelley back garden telescope!)
Mark
and applying the "Unbelieveable luck of the Shelley" filter too... :D
Quote from: Ian
and applying the "Unbelieveable luck of the Shelley" filter too... :D
Indeed - I was fortunate enough to buy the C11 just one week before the Holmes outburst.
Mark
see, I knew it :)
I don't beleive it ...............................
"Shakes head in disbelief" :roll:
Quote from: Tony G on Sep 07, 2009, 21:39:51
'I just happened to have my camera with me (with my new C11), when...................' ;)
Tony G
Deja Vu :roll: ;)
Tony G
Considering the amount of lady luck you seem to have acquired
could you pick the numbers for fridays euro lottery please.
Cheers. ;)