[net.astro] Where's the best place to view Haley's Comet?

lmm@panda.UUCP (Linda M. McInnis) (01/09/85)

and when??


-- 
	Linda M. McInnis  USENET:    genrad!teddy!lmm

	"I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused."

gino@voder.UUCP (Gino Bloch) (01/11/85)

> and when??
The best place to view HALLEY's comet (note the spelling; and it rhymes
with ALLEY, not daily), is the southern hemisphere.  The best time is
spring 1986.
Page 54 of Jan 1985 Sky & Telescope summarizes the ephemeris.  It will
reach naked eye visibility in December, and fade below that level around
May 1986.  But naked eye visibility means just barely and under good
conditions.  It will be brightest (but only around second magnitude)
in late March and early April of '86.
Not a great apparition this time, I'd say, so let's all look for a better
apparition around 2061 or '2.
-- 
Gene E. Bloch (...!nsc!voder!gino)
Extend USENET to omicron Ceti.

henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (01/13/85)

The Southern Hemisphere, early next year, I believe.  Don't expect
too much even so; this is going to be one of the poorest appearances
of Halley's Comet in the last several thousand years, from our point
of view.  It will be more-or-less on the other side of the sun during
most of this appearance.  What rotten luck.

Actually, the *best* place to view the comet from would probably be
the Giotto probe.  But I don't think ESA would accept hitchhikers...
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry

jdb@qubix.UUCP (Jeff Bulf) (01/15/85)

> and when??
> 	Linda M. McInnis  USENET:    genrad!teddy!lmm

["... you're not going to like it" - Deep Thought]

    The answer is ... Venus. Or at least from high orbit around Venus.
Halleys Comet will be at its most spectacular at it's closest approach
to the Sun. It will be on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth at that time.
(Foo!)

    Fortunately, Venus will be over where the comet is, and our humble Pioneer
Venus Orbiter spacecraft ("It's still ticking!") will observe it with Radar
Mapper, Cloud Photopolarimiter, Infrared Radiometer, and I forget what else.

    From what I understand, Earthbound observers are pretty much SOL on this
one. Perhaps Gene Miya or somebody still in touch with NASA can be more
enlightening.

	yr 'umble bearer of bad news,
-- 
	Dr Memory
	...{amd,cbosgd,ihnp4}!qubix!jdb