Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Version 1.0 Netnews CMS/BITNET 5/19/85; site PSUVM.BITNET Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ukma!psuvm.bitnet!gms From: GMS@PSUVM.BITNET Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: sighting of P/halley from Pennsylvania Message-ID: <4536GMS@PSUVM> Date: Wed, 12-Mar-86 19:21:29 EST Article-I.D.: PSUVM.4536GMS Posted: Wed Mar 12 19:21:29 1986 Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 06:17:33 EST Expires: Thu, 27-Mar-86 00:00:00 EST Lines: 36 I observed P/Halley this morning from two sites at State College, Pennsylvania. (41 degrees North Latitude, 79 degrees West Longitude) The first site was at 4:45. This site was in a pretty dark area, but inside the metro area. The comet was hard to naked eye, but easier (with a short tail) in 7x35 binoculars. Then I moved south of town, to get all of the metro lights behind me. This was about 5:20 (it's a small town). The comet was easy with naked-eye, and a tail about 3 degrees long was visible. Binoculars showed the comet more easily, and my 8" F6 Newtonian telescope of course showed it better, but with no real coma detail (like jets) visible. The comet was about 15 degrees above the southern horizon when morning twilight began to interfere. I'd estimate the coma to be about 3'rd magnitude (in agreement with an earlier posting I'd seen on the net). If you are away from town lights it is really not hard at all, in fact it is much brighter, and somewhat larger, than it appeared in January before it ducked behind the Sun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******* Gerry Santoro ******** * Microcomputer Information & Support Center *********** * Penn State University ******** *** * 101 Computer Building ********** *** * University Park, PA 16802 *************** * (814) 863-4356 ************ * ********* * GMS @ PSUVM (bitnet) ******* ** * santoro @ penn-state (csnet) ***** ** * ...!psuvax1!psuvm.bitnet!gms (uucp) **** * gms%psuvm.bitnet@wscvm.arpa (arpa) *** * *******