While the sun remains by far the most massive object in the solar system, the comparatively tiny Comet 17P/Holmes has released so much gas and dust due to an unexpected eruption that its coma(extended atmosphere) is larger than the diameter of the sun.
time-lapse, Holmes!
"It continues to expand and is now the largest single object in the solar system," according to astronomers at the University of Hawaii. On November 9, the coma's diameter was 869,900 miles compared to roughly 864,900 miles for the sun.
Nobody knows why Holmes erupted, but it underwent a similar explosive brightening in 1892. The recent display, which began in late October, will continue over the next few weeks and months as the coma and stubby tail are expected to expand even more. The comet will fade in brightness as the dust disperses at roughly 1,100 mph. The nucleus, made of ice and rock, is only 2.2 miles in diameter.
Currently, Holmes is 149 million miles away and retreating from it's closest point with the Earth, which was in May. At 1.6 times the distance from Earth to the sun, the Hubble telescope can't resolve the nucleus, but that's mostly due to the cloud of disintegrating dust particles shedding from the nucleus.
Astronomy and quantum particle physics are two things that warp my noodle. Space shit is totally cool. I'm happy that this comet is nice and far away now that it's erupting, because it would really suck to have everything obliterated by a freak comet. Especially Baja Fresh. Damn, I love that place.
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