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I would like to know how folks in the Australia, New Zealand who saw Halley's Comet the last time it appeared thought the size looked like.
I have been looking at Comet 2023 Atlas in the evening sky here in the U.S.A.
While in Elementary School I was told about Halley's Comet, and how Everyone was fascinated about its appearance.
I always imagined that it was very large in size.
Also anyone who saw both the Halley and Atlas Comets could tell me how they compare in size?
I had thought the general response was that it didn't pass particularly close, so was underwhelming as an event.
But perhaps it was more visible in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hello Ed!
31 Oct 24 11:47, you wrote to all:
This top photo on wikiwpedia is what it actually looked like here in Australia in 1986.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet
Vorlon
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I haven't been lucky enough to see it, though I think it's been more about my location, how cloudy it has been, and when I've remembered to go looking. I'm sad about it, as a naked-eye comet is not common.Here in Southern Indiana USA Comet 2023 Atlas is high in the sky after sunset, it is in the SouthWest now and slowly moving higher and more Southward.
I had thought the general response was that it didn't pass particularly close, so was underwhelming as an event.
But perhaps it was more visible in the Southern Hemisphere.
That said, it's doubtlessly the most famous comet, and the only one I'm aware of where there are a lot of historical sightings of it -- though I guess Halley was the one to connect the dots in 1705.
It's also interesting that we're now closer to the next visit than we are to the last, as Halley's Comet started getting closer to the sun as of December of last year.
Thinking of other comets, were you aware of Hyakutake or Hale-Bopp? They came in 1996 and 1997, and were _obvious_, as they peaked at 0 and -1 in the brightness scale, so were about as bright as the brightest (non-planet) star in the night sky, and took up a much larger portion of the sky, as they were fuzzy blobs.
And they were visible much higher in the sky, too, because of how they came in.
I think the odds aren't _great_ that we'll see something as obvious as Hale-Bopp in the next 50 years, but it would be neat if we could get a few more visible-to-the-naked eye (but no collisions) comets, as it's a celestial treat.
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This post may be a repeat I am not sure it was saved earlier.
Thinking of other comets, were you aware of Hyakutake or Hale-Bopp? They came in 1996 and 1997, and were _obvious_, as they peaked at 0 and -1 in the brightness scale, so were about as bright as the brightest (non-planet) star i
the night sky, and took up a much larger portion of the sky, as they were fuzz
blobs.
And they were visible much higher in the sky, too, because of how they came in
Now, the Perseids meteor shower we had a few years back (probably about a decade ago, now that I think of it) I *do* remember seeing, and it was prett spectacular. Definitely helped by the fact I was on holiday in the countryside with very little light pollution.
I still see the Comet in the evening around 7:00PM.
Up about 45 Degrees and in the Southwest.
It moves towards the South direction each night.
Ed
Either way it's due back 2061, apparently. I'm not sure I'll get to see it, though, as that would make me 80 - even if I make it that far I
don't expect my eyes to be good enough to pick up on a comet by then :(