jay@npois.UUCP (Anton Winteroak) (11/04/85)
If you have a good pair of binoculars you can see Halley's Comet this month. It is high in the Northern Sky, and will get as bright as magnitude 6.2 It is presently moving from Orion and Gemini into Taurus. On the nights from November 14th through 17th, the moon will set early, and the comet will be within about two degrees of the Plaedes (sp?) betwenn magnitudes 7 and 6.5. It will appear as a starlike object with a round hazy area centered on the bright spot. It is unlikely that there will be much of a tail visable, since it will be more than 1.5 times as far from the sun as we are.
carey@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (11/12/85)
Another reason for not being able to see a tail now, is that the comet will be in opposition on Nov. 18, so the tail is pointed directly away from us.
jay@npois.UUCP (Anton Winteroak) (12/02/85)
This month (December, 1985) Halley's Comet will be passing through Pisces, into Aquarius. By mid to late January it will become a difficult object to see in the evening twilight in the west. To find the comet, go to a dark place, with clear skies, and bring a pair of binoculars. About eight PM look to the Southwest. High in the sky you should see four fairly bright stars that form an almost square figure, tipped on it's side to look diamond shaped. This is the Great square of Pegasus. Halley's Comet will be moving roughly parallel to the lower left side of this diamond. On the evening of December 5th, it will be on an extension of the line drawn through the top and leftmost stars in Pegasus, about two or three finger widths (at arms length) below and to the left of the leftmost star. It will be at magnitude 6.3. People living on mountain tops in the desert, with 20/10 vision may be able to see it naked eye, but they won't be impressed. On December 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, it will be in the circlet in Pisces. The circlet is the lower fish. This is a ring of five or six third and forth magnitude stars, about four fingers below the line connecting the leftmost, and bottom stars of Pegasus. On December 17th, the comet will be on an extension of the line connecting the rightmost and bottom stars of Pegasus, about five finger-widths below and to the left of the bottom star. At that time it should be magnitude 6.2, but in many areas, starting to be obscured a little by the oblique view through the atmosphere. On December 24th through 31st, the comet will pass half a finger width from the Water Jar the Aquarius is carrying. The comet will be below and to the left of this collection of four stars, one 2nd, two 3rd, and one 4th magnitude forming a long quadralaterial 3 finger widths long, and one wide. Be careful not to confuse the comet with a globular cluster below and to the right by three finger widths, called M2, because it was the second object in Charles Messier's catalogue of things he often mistook for comets. On December 31st, the Comet should be magnitude 5.9. It will spend the rest of January moving slowly down from the Water Jar. On January 15th, it will be about four finger widths below the lowest star in the Water Jar, at magnitude 5.1, but elongated only 34 degrees from the sun. This is further out than mercury ever gets, but it is still difficult.