Comet Kaboom

Should I put on my nerd glasses ’cause this is a nerd topic? Astronomy is pretty nerdy. Nerdy until something blows up! Then it’s cool. I like stuff that blows up. [Mimics explosion sound] Especially when it’s a really big explosion. [Mimics shrapnel noises] That’s the little things coming off. [Mimics explosion sound] Or you know, when, like in the movies, when they slow it down and it takes a really long time to explode. [Mimics slow explosion sound] Like maybe a month or two. [Continues explosion sound] I like that.

In case you hadn’t heard, 17P/Holmes, the comet… That sounds really funny. [Chuckles] The comet. [Chuckles] In case you hadn’t heard, the 17P/Holmes comet exploded on October 24th. And it’s still blowing up. Right now. Yep, right up there. It didn’t actually explode; technically, they say it erupted, but it looks like part of it exploded, and that’s what makes it so cool. No-one really knows what happened to the comet, or why, but it did the same thing 115 years ago when Edwin Holmes discovered it. Holmes. Are you trying to tell us something?

The debris from little 17P continues to grow larger and larger, but as it grows larger, it also grows dimmer. Currently, it’s visible to the naked eye, and if you get your hands on a telescope or some binoculars, you should still be able to get a pretty good look at it. Right now, it’s next to the Perseus constellation [Chuckles] – and if you know where that is, you’re probably already looking at it. Down below, we’ve left you some links to some helpful astronomy websites, in case you have trouble finding 17P/Holmes, or stars, or the night sky. And if you find all this astronomy stuff gets boring, just change a few letters and look up astrology. P17 is telling you something. Your love life is a disaster. [Mimics explosion sound]

Transcribed by: Justin G.

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