dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (12/05/85)
Now is a good time to be looking for Comet Halley with binoculars. We'll tell you where to look -- after this. December 5 A Circlet of Stars and a Comet With no moon in the evening sky it's a good time right now to try to find Comet Halley. You'll need a pair of binoculars -- and to be somewhere far away from city lights. There are two star patterns that can guide you to the comet. One is fairly easy to find. Four stars mark the pattern of the Great Square of Pegasus -- the constellation of the flying horse. The Great Square is nearly overhead at sundown. Of the two patterns that will help you locate Comet Halley, the Great Square is the easy one to find. The other pattern is the constellation Pisces -- which is very faint -- though you may be able to see a distinctive small circle of stars south of the Great Square. That circle of stars is called the Circlet in Pisces. Find the star in the southeast corner of the Great Square -- then scan the sky between that star and the Circlet with your binoculars. That's the area on the dome of the sky where Comet Halley is now located. With binoculars, Halley will look like a small dim fuzzy ball. And as usual, it'll help if you're seeing it from a place as free as possible from city lights. If you're not familiar with the constellations -- but you'd like to see Comet Halley -- local astronomy clubs, science museums and planetariums all over the country are sponsoring comet watch parties. Check your local newspaper or with a library to find out if there are any in your area. Script by Diana Hadley. (c) Copyright 1984, 1985 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin