As readers of the blog are probably aware, Brigette likes all things space-related. Especially pleasing is the fact that since we’re two miles into the forest, we don’t have city lights affecting our view of the night sky. We’ve seen the band of the Milky Way and the sky filled with multitudes of stars almost every night this week, and we’ve also been watching the Holmes Comet as it explodes.
Visible in the northeast, in the constellation Perseus, the comet’s “coma cloud” of gas and dust looks like a big, fuzzy, white ball and has been visible to the naked eye over the past couple of weeks. Our favorite quote is from Paul Lewis, director of astronomy outreach at the University of Tennessee. “This is truly a celestial surprise,” Mr. Lewis said. “Absolutely amazing.” We agree!
The show may last for weeks or even months. Although it’s chilly, we (well…Brigette at least…Dave will probably be in the Great Room in front of the fire) will be taking the binoculars outside this weekend to catch some detail.