In 1997 I got to see my first comet, a friend and I had been driving through the country when I asked him to pull up at the side of the road to admire the night sky which from here was very dark and transparent. These great comets are not to be missed as they can and have profoundly affected the lives of many observers - I am one of those people! However once every decade or so a comet comes along that is so bright that it shakes the world of astronomy and gets the attention from the media all over the world. Within 1-2 years one comes along that can be easily seen in 7X50 mm or 10X50 mm binoculars and on average you can expect a naked eye comet to appear in the sky every 3-5 years. On any given night there at least several faint comets within reach of moderate to large backyard telescopes and if you wait a little longer then one or more can fall within the grasp of smaller instruments. Professional telescope time is very limited so astronomers do not have the freedom to observe every comet in the sky on a nightly basis so this is the area where the work of the amateur astronomer is sorely needed. They creep along the starry background like asteroids and their ghostly tails often possess the eerie delicate structure of the aurora, its this unpredictable nature that allures me to these always welcome visitors to our skies.Īt its most basic level comet observation is fun however with a little practice anyone can contribute observations of scientific value particularly when it comes to light curve development, accurate positioning work and tail studies. These objects offer something for everyone, satisfying for the naked eye observer while delivering a challenge for the most advanced deep sky veteran and astrophotographer, the magnitudes of the comets rise and fall often in an unpredictable fashion like variable stars but they are not stars. The truly 'great' comets can interrupt the well known star patterns with their sweeping tails extending across much of the entire sky. Hung by the heavens with black, yield day to night!Ĭomets, importing change of time and states,īrandish your crystal tresses in the sky.īright comets are the most beautiful objects to grace the night sky, they can be the most spectacular of the transient phenomena and for me they are special.
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