The internet is abuzz with talk about Comet 17P/Holmes, which suddenly brightened by an astonishing 13 magnitudes over just 3 days!
Comets brighten but this is simply stunning. Apparently 17P has played like this before but not quite as dramatically. It's currently in Perseus and despite the full moon, is easily visible to the naked eye. I found it tonight in a little triangle pattern with Alpha and Delta Perseus.
I'm about to head off for the AIC and had planned to be well rested, but this event was too good to pass up. So I spent some time in the dome and captured some spectra of the Comet, as well as some stars (for flux calibration as well as general interest purposes). Then I decided it would be worth performing a quick processing on the Comet spectra, so here is the result.
The odd thing is that this spectra does not look like a comet spectra, but instead it looks like a Type K star. So, I must admit that there is a possibility that I messed up and got the wrong object. But I was quite careful, and the object in the guider field was clearly the Comet with a fuzzy glow around it. And the spectra were extended rather than thin strips like stars give. People are reporting that the Comet appears yellowish or even reddish, and this spectra seems to support that.
Anyway I guess I will find out soon. Meanwhile I need to try to get a few hours of sleep before the trip tomorrow.
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