Clouds conspire to stop Astronomy Club from observing Comet Holmes

     Although a cloudy night sky persisted, the faithful members of the Astronomy Club stuck around for the observance of Comet Holmes Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. Comet Holmes, like many other comets, is a ball made up of frozen matter. Circling back past us every seven years, this time around, Comet Holmes has amazed astronomers.
     Shockingly, on Oct. 24, 2007, Comet Holmes brightened dramatically up to one million times its original brightness. Completely unpredicted, this astonishing change caused Comet Holmes to be visible to the naked eye if people knew which direction to look.
     Excited about this new astronomical surprise, the GCSU Astronomy Club organized the Comet Holmes Observing open to all students in front of the Arts and Sciences Building.
     Donovan Domingue, the professor responsible for heading up the Astronomy Club after an interested group of students approached him in 2004, attended the Comet Holmes observance.
     “Tuesday’s weather was cloudy and we were only able to see the comet for a few minutes when clouds thinned out,” Domingue said.
     However, that did not stop members from trying. For over an hour, advisers, professors and students waited for the sky to clear.
     When the sky began to clear, some were able to locate Comet Holmes.
     Pavielle Ludlow, a senior at GCSU awaiting graduation, says, “We had a little bit of a hard time seeing the comet with the cloud cover, but we did get to see it briefly, which was wonderful. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to witness an event such as this, it’s really rather amazing.”
     One trait that makes the Comet Holmes so particular to astronomers is the fact that it does not have a tail like other comets.
     Domingue says, “Don’t expect a bright tail as you might imagine a comet should have. Holmes will not move in much closer to the Sun and therefore no tail is expected.”
With no tail, it looks more like a star. This fascinates the astronomers at GCSU.
     Comet Holmes, located in the Northeast in the constellation Perseus, was a beautiful experience for those who saw it. Alex Smith, a junior involved in the science department, says, “I enjoyed the observation of Comet Holmes because it’s rare that you get to see an astronomical phenomenon with the naked eye. Plus, I learned a lot about the Comet Holmes and other comets from the professors there.”
     Overall, the Comet Holmes observance went well. Although difficult to see, many expressed their interest in astronomy. In the past the Astronomy Club has come together to view planet Mars or other specific constellations in the night sky. Anyone is welcome to join the group. Domingue says, “We try to give members of the University community access to exciting events like the currently visible Comet Holmes.” After all, some astronomical events will only happen once in our life time.
After being involved with the Astronomy Club for a few years, Ludlow says, “I find it very humbling to see just how small we really are.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 9 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry