Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site gitpyr.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!gatech!gt-stratus!gitpyr!cmpbsdb From: cmpbsdb@gitpyr.UUCP (Don Barry) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: Re: Halley idetification Message-ID: <1020@gitpyr.UUCP> Date: Wed, 13-Nov-85 12:36:49 EST Article-I.D.: gitpyr.1020 Posted: Wed Nov 13 12:36:49 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 07:48:29 EST References: <1343@decwrl.UUCP> Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Lines: 34 In article <1343@decwrl.UUCP>, fisher@scotty.DEC (Burns Fisher, MRO3-1/E13, DTN 231-4108.) writes: > > ...spot with a fuzzy halo right next to the middle star > in Orion's sword, and probably dimmer. I could see the middle star with > naked eye, but only with binocs could I see that there were really two (and > the fuzz). Yes, you saw the famed Orion Nebula, M-42 and the detached portion M-43. This is easily visible to the naked eye, even from most urban environments. The integrated magnitude of the nebula, four bright stars(the "trapezium") is around 2.5, though it appears slightly dimmer due to its size. > Are there normally two stars there, or might it be Halley? I suppose it might > also be M42? Damn! I wish I were more familiar with that area! > Has anyone seen it with binocs? Halley has now passed the Hyades (the "snout" of Taurus containing Aldebaran) and is closing in on the Pleiades. It has long left Orion, and never, in fact, was within the confines of the body - it was in the uppermost regions of the outstretched arm. I have seen it in as small as a 7 x 30 finderscope, so it is easily visible in binocs. I believe it is very close to naked-eye visibility, and I'm quite sure I could see it now naked-eye under excellent sky conditions. If you have a star atlas, you may wish to plot coordinates I gave at the beginning of the month for the comets to see their motion and relative location. I will soon be doing the same for the month of December. -- Don Barry (Chemistry Dept) CSnet: cmpbsdb%gitpyr.GTNET@gatech.CSNET Georgia Institute of Technology BITNET: CMPBSDB @ GITVM1 Atlanta, GA 30332 ARPA: cmpbsdb%gitpyr.GTNET%gatech.CSNET@csnet-relay.ARPA UUCP: ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!cmpbsdb