Finding comet Holmes

If you have clear weather and a good dark sky away from very bright lights, you shouldn’t have a problem. Viewers in North America and Europe have the best chance for spotting the comet as it is visible for a longer period of time in their night sky. At the latitude of London, Holmes is almost ‘straight up’ for much of the night.

You’ll need a bit of basic knowledge of the constellations to find Holmes – and you might find the star map below helpful.

If you locate the constellation of Cassiopeia and use one of the ‘arms’ of the ‘W’ shape, you’ll spot comet Holmes between Cassiopeia and another bright blue star, Capella.

The further north you are, the better your chances. If you live towards the equator, Holmes still should still be visible looking north up to 15-20 degrees south of the equator if you’re lucky enough to have a flat horizon.

Enjoy!

For more information

Cometography - Comet Holmes images
http://cometography.com

Sky & telescope - Comet Holmes updates
http://www.skyandtelescope.com