dgd@ukc.UUCP (D.G.Dixon) (10/13/83)
I thought Halley had already passed inside Saturn's orbit ? The comet will pass on the wrong side of the Sun (!) for it to produce a spectacular apparition here but at least the herd of space probes that are planned to intercept it should give us lots of interesting data. DGD ...!vax135!ukc!dgd
carters@tektronix.UUCP (Carter Stein) (01/03/85)
I understand that Halley's comet is in the northwest of Orion, at about a magnatude of 16. How big of a telescope is needed to see the comet now? By the way, since I am in the market for a telescope, does anyone have any opinions about the Celestron Super C8? thanks, tektronix!carters
brad@gcc-opus.ARPA (Brad Parker) (01/07/85)
Speaking of Comets, I was looking up at Orion's belt just after Christmas, and noticed a very bright star, about 90 degrees to my right, rather low in the sky. Can someone tell me what that was. I'm planning on purchasing a book on star gazing - any suggestions would be welcome. (should this be in net.astro ?) -- J Bradford Parker uucp: seismo!harvard!gcc-opus!brad otherwise: what else is there ? "Say something once, Why say it again ?" - David Burne
canopus@amdahl.UUCP (Flaming Asteroid) (01/10/85)
> Speaking of Comets, I was looking up at Orion's belt just after Christmas, > and noticed a very bright star, about 90 degrees to my right, rather low in > the sky. Can someone tell me what that was. If it was in the West, it was the Planet Venus. [Obviously, if you were facing Orion, which is in the South, West *would* be to your right] > I'm planning on purchasing a book on star gazing - any suggestions would > be welcome. There are soooo many! Check out a local library first. ASTRONOMY magazine is pretty good for entry-level types. Isaac Asimov has some good books (The Universe, I believe). > (should this be in net.astro ?) Probably. To answer a prior question concerning the visibility of Halley's Comet in a telescope, a Japanese amateur recently photographed it. To see a magnitude 16 non-stellar object like a comet would probably require a scope of 20 inches aperture, and a VERY clear night. When it brightens to around 11 or 12 magnitude, it should be easy in a 12 inch scope. -- Frank Dibbell (408-746-6493) ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,amd,nsc}!amdahl!canopus [R.A. 6h 22m 30s Dec. -52d 36m] [Generic disclaimer...]
phl@drusd.UUCP (LavettePH) (04/02/85)
>Well, I don't know about you, but I certainly have been >waiting a while for Halley's Comet to arrive. Shouldn't it >be here this year or the next ? Could anyone give precise >dates, and if possible info about locations to watch it from. >Andrew Royappa @ Purdue COMET HALLEY TIMETABLE (Thanks to: Orion Telescope Center) OCT82 First observatory photo at one billion miles from earth. NOV84 First observatory visual observation. AUG85 First expected sighting through larger amateur scopes at new moon. SEP85 Well placed for moderately large amateur scopes. OCT85 Within range of smaller scopes and large binoculars. Tail partially visible through larger amateur scopes. NOV85 Visible all night with scopes and binoculars. First likely appearance of tail with smaller instruments. DEC85 First expected naked-eye observations. Wide field scopes should show tail about 4X the diameter of the full moon. JAN86 Comet disappears behind sun toward end of month. FEB86 Tail reappears above morning horizon towards end of month. MAR86 Bright head and long tail rises above horizon. APR86 Best month for naked-eye viewing. Comet will be low in the south for viewers in the northern hemisphere. Pick a remote, dark location for viewing. MAY86 Head becomes largest as tail shrinks to narrow line. Invisible to naked- eye viewers by end of month. AUG86 Visible only with large amateur instruments. Add seventy-six years and try again. |-) - Phil