Chasing comets

OK. So I know next to nothing about comets and stars.

I do know, however, that Comet Holmes (17P) has suddenly brightened by a millionfold from a very faint magnitude of 18 (October 20) to a magnitude of less than 3 now! The faintest star the human eye can see in a dark location is of magnitude 6.

from i.z.reloaded

"Comet Holmes is really an incredible object, like a new star in the middle of the thigh of Perseus. It's unbelievable to think that a few hours ago, this comet wasn't visible even with a good telescope, and now, it's easily visible with naked-eyes even in a town!" said Laurent Laveder, an amateur astronomer in France. You can view his pic of the comet (and by others) here.

For us in Singapore, the best time to view the comet is at 11pm when Perseus, the constellation where the comet is in right now, will be rising higher in the North Eastern sky. The comet should be easily spotted, even without binoculars.

I've plotted the Comet's location on the map above (S&T Interactive Sky Chart), showing how the sky will look like at 11 pm tonight in Singapore, when facing North East, 30 degrees above the horizon. To locate the comet, first you need to identify the constellations in that region. The easiest to spot will be the "M" of Cassiopeia. Perseus is next to it. Comet Holmes will look like an extra "star" or "planet" in Perseus.

What this all means, is that, while on the way home from band practice tonight, I may be able to spot it. Sweet.