Comet Holmes, usually a very dim comet, orbits the sun with a period of 7 years. It became notable during its 2007 return when it temporarily brightened by a factor of about half a million, in what was the largest known outburst by a comet. This made it visible to the naked eye. It also briefly became the largest object in the solar system, as its coma (the thin dissipating dust ball around the comet) expanded to a diameter greater than that of the Sun.
The comet was experiencing a similar outburst when it was first discovered by Edwin Holmes of London in 1892.
I took this shot out on the deck using a 15-second exposure with a basic Canon digital camera
