Last October, astronomers all over the world were astounded when the normally very faint Comet Holmes erupted in the largest outburst for more than a century. Comets are bodies orbiting the Sun composed of frozen gases and microscopic solid particles in a small solid nucleus. When they come close to the Sun, they heat up and some of the icy material turns to gas, producing characteristic tails. But during this outburst, Comet Holmes released a large amount of its material all at once.