Tech, RU observatories offer chances to see comet
Want to get in on the latest buzz in the sky?
Grab a pair of binoculars and head out to view Comet 17p/Holmes, suggests Jack Brockway, a Radford University astronomy professor. The comet comes around about every seven years, but this month, it's as bright as a star, visible to the naked eye and taking astronomers by surprise.
"This one is so visible," he said. "It's really a chance to get people excited about astronomy."
On Oct. 23, the comet, which is typically visible in the northeastern sky through a telescope, brightened without warning. Scientists think it's breaking apart, causing a cloud of debris larger than Earth to reflect off the sun.
If the miles-long comet continues to disintegrate, it could die out for good, Brockway said.
In 1892, British astronomer Edwin Holmes discovered the comet that bears his name while it underwent a similar breakdown.
Brockway said Comet Holmes appeared as students in one of his classes learned about comets. But he fears most people won't care about the astronomical event because they can't actually see its tail.
"I certainly see [dismay] in my astronomy classes," he said. "Sometimes the images are perhaps a little less dramatic than we expect them to be."
Comet Holmes looks more like a fuzzy blob, he said.
But that doesn't mean it's not important.
"People can be standoffish about science. This is a real 'wow factor,' " he said.
In the 1990s, Virginia Tech's physics department allowed the public to see the Hale-Bopp comet at showings, but Virginia Tech physics professor John Simonetti, said he doesn't expect the same for this one because "anyone can see it if they know where to look."
Virginia Tech's Prices Fork observatory will be open for its usual public showing Nov. 16, though. The comet is expected to be visible throughout the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, after being contacted by a reporter, Brockway said he wanted to put together a campuswide event. Telescopes at Radford University's observatory at Selu have been having mechanical difficulties, but he said he will bring out telescopes used in his classes for public viewing of the comet
"I don't want it to dim down unexpectedly," he said.
