Have you heard about Comet 17P/Holmes? Tonight I brought out my Celestron 8” SCT and photographed the comet with my Nikon Coolpix 4500 (45 second exposure @ ISO 200). I didn't bother to polar align, so that's why the stars are streaked a little. The comet is presently located in the constellation Perseus, which can be found in the northeast sky after sunset. Look for the more familiar "W" of constellation Cassiopeia; Persus is just below. Use your binoculars and scan – you can't miss it! For the next few weeks 17/P Holmes will be heading toward the star Mirfak in Persus, so it should be pretty easy to find.
(click for larger version)
Comet 17P/Holmes image © 2007 Mike McDowell
