SPA Comet Section

Comet Hale-Bopp photographed in 1997 by Paul Sutherland

To the amateur astronomer, comets can be fascinating astronomical phenomena. They are mysterious, often elusive objects, changing their position and appearance over time, and often appearing only for a few weeks before vanishing from the celestial scene. While the majority of comets are faint, a number become bright enough to be visible in binoculars and small telescopes, and one or two, notably Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) and Comet C/1995 01 (Hale-Bopp) in recent years, can become spectacular naked-eye objects.

The observer's challenge lies in monitoring a comet's appearance In the eyepiece from night to night. A comet appearing as just a fuzzy smudge one evening may show a brilliant centre or a tail a night or two later. The aim of the Comet Section is to assist SPA members in making useful observations and to enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of what they are seeing.

If there is a comet in the sky bright enough to be a likely target for SPA members, charts of its position will be provided in the SPA News Circulars, and SPA members can find it quite easily using these. The simplest and cheapest way of making observations is visually, using just a pencil and paper for making notes and drawings of what was seen. Drawings need not be artistic - as long as they accurately show the shape of the target comet and its position relative to the background stars, then they are useful. Visual observations are reported on standard Section report forms, which are available from the Director at the address below. Photographs and CCD images (in hardcopy please) are also very welcome - though do not let this prevent you from sending copies to the Astrophotography Section! Regular reports of the Section's activities appear in the News Circulars, and in Popular Astronomy.