canopus@amdahl.UUCP (Frank Dibbell) (04/11/85)
I was finally able to obtain a partial ephemeris for Comet Halley
which I used to verify the output of the Comet Halley program.
Here is the partial ephemeris for you to use to verify the proper
functioning of your program:
Date R.A. Dec. To Sun To Earth
-------- --------- ------------ ------- -------
April 15 4hr 53min +15deg 28min 4.28 4.86
April 20 4hr 55min +15deg 41min 4.23 4.88
April 25 4hr 56min +15deg 54min 4.18 4.89
April 30 4hr 58min +16deg 06min 4.12 4.89
May 5 5hr 00min +16deg 19min 4.07 4.89
The halley program doesn't appear to vary more than a minute of
arc in declination or more than .01 A.U. - close enough for telescope
use (one minute of arc is the angle subtended by the planet Venus
at its closest approach).
As for the magnitude estimates, examining the entrails of a chicken
may be just as accurate at this point [(-:]. My ephemeris extract
didn't come with any magnitude predictions, unfortunately.
Happy comet hunting!
--
Frank Dibbell (408-746-6493) {whatever}!amdahl!canopus
[R.A. 6h 22m 30s Dec. -52d 36m] [Generic disclaimer.....]