Time lapse video of Comet Holmes fading (annotated)

This video shows that the coma, the cloud of dust and gas encircling Comet Holmes, is getting fainter over time. The coma was brightest in the 29 Oct. image. It is two times fainter on 31 Oct. and nine times dimmer on 4 Nov. than during the 29 Oct. observation. The coma is getting fainter because it is expanding. The three images were taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and H. Weaver (The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)