Cumbrian Sky

Comet Holmes continues to puzzle and delight amateur and professional astronomers alike. It is now, according to reports, almost as bright as the Pole Star, Polaris, and is a small, misty blur in the sky rather than a starry point. The photo above, taken by Spaceweather.com contributor Scott Alder, shows what the comet looks like through a small telescope: a circular, orangey-yellow disc, with a starry centre. Binoculars apparently show its colour particularly well.

Of course, every night since the news about "The Exploding Comet" broke it's been cloudy here in the north of the UK, but tonight looks more promising, so fingers crossed we get a chance to take a look for ourselves this evening after dark!

Here's where to look for the comet, looking east after dark:

Spaceweather.com has lots more info about, and photos of, the comet...

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