Mini Comets Ejected from Comet Holmes Caused Outburst

[Nyrath]

http://www.universetoday.com/2009/09/15/mini-comets-ejected-from-comet-holmes-caused-outburst/

http://www2.ess.ucla.edu/~jewitt/Holmes.html

 

Comet 17P/Holmes caused a sensation in October and November 2007 when overnight, it brightened enough to be visible with the naked eye and became the largest cometary outburst ever witnessed. Using a special filter on the Canada- France- Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii, astronomers were able to peer inside Comet Holmes to determine why the comet became so bright. Images and animations show multiple fragments were ejected and rapidly flew away from the nucleus of comet Holmes.

 

Astronomers Rachel Stevenson, Jan Kleyna and David Jewitt began observing comet Holmes in October 2007 soon after it was reported that the small (3.6 km wide) body had brightened by a million times in less than a day. They continued observing for several weeks after the outburst and watched as the dust cloud ejected by the comet grew to be larger than the Sun.

 

"Dust cloud" eh? More like a sensor swarm, or a delivery of alien assembler nanotechnology that will soon start to devour the solar system.

[tkdguy]

Re: Mini Comets Ejected from Comet Holmes Caused Outburst

 

Wow, I hadn't heard of this before. I guess I'm out of touch.

 

Nice find. Thanks for sharing!

[L. Marcus]

Re: Mini Comets Ejected from Comet Holmes Caused Outburst

 

A direct hit from NASA's clandestine orbital railguns on the camouflaged Alien mothership!