I don't think its comet Holmes I'm not sure what it is . It seems to be fading, possibly an exploded satellite with the suns reflection lighting it
2007-12-10 11:15:51
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answer #1
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answered by oldtreeplanter 2
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Not the comet.
These are parts of e-mails that some friends of mine sent in a group forum:
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At first I thought it was an existing satellite that had come to grief, but in fact it's been tentatively identified as the spent upper stage of an Atlas-Centaur rocket that was making quite a show, jettisoning propellant, above Florida
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A launch of an Atlas Centaur 5 rocket was followed by a huge fuel dump.
The results were spectacular - a hazy blob twice the size of Comet Holmes
and about magnitude -1 (!). Through binoculars, it looked a lot like a comet
with a tight nucleus (actually the rocket) and a huge, fan-tailed coma (the
dispersing rocket fuel). It was moving rapidly from Cygus into Cassiopeia
and by 7:45pm or so had just about faded away. But just a little after 7pm
EST this evening, it really produced one of the most amazing spectacles!!!
I knew that no comet was in that area so it couldn't have been an unexpected outburst, and after a few minutes, its apparent motion across the sky became obvious so it was obviously in Earth vicinity.
2007-12-10 14:17:14
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answer #2
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answered by B. 7
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I saw it here in Louisiana it was about 5:50 pm 12/10/07
Could only see it for about 20 min. It was not Comet Holmes wonder from SPACEWEATHER.COM
"Two objects streaking through the cloud suggested the possibility of a rocket burn or fuel dump"--and that is the correct explanation. This cloud mimicking Comet 17P/Holmes is fuel dumped from the upper stage of an Atlas rocket that launched a classified satellite into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office earlier this evening. It was a splendid display, now faded away.
2007-12-10 13:04:30
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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Sorry but this was not Comet Holmes. Comet Holmes hasn't moved very much since the first "explosion". This thing, however was move very quickly. Not as fast as a meteor but slower than an airplane.
2007-12-10 11:54:36
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answer #4
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answered by miarmyguy 2
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I've heard one recently that seems interesting
they claim its a Centaur upperstage of an Atlas V rocket delivering a satellite into orbit
he said he saw it with his binoculars
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmMSDlwtQb5HnRXi_yqYrg0Bxgt.;_ylv=3?qid=20071210171705AA0l27f
here are the stats I found on wiki about the recent launch
2007-12-10
serial-no AV-015
luanch site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Canaveral_Air_Force_Station_Launch_Complex_41
payload- NRO L-24 Reconnaissance satellite
orbit -Success
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=11016&mid=221256
although, the reported times on both sides seem to be off by an hour and a half or so
2007-12-10 11:19:13
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answer #5
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answered by Mercury 2010 7
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Cloudy here. Are the chances of anything coming from Mars still a million to one? Ulla...
2007-12-10 11:56:02
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answer #6
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answered by elohimself 4
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