Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T21:05:20.091Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Modern Role of Visual Observations of Comets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

S.M. Larson ,
S.J. Edberg  and
D.H. Levy
S.M. Larson
Affiliation:
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
S.J. Edberg
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory California, Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91109, USA
D.H. Levy
Affiliation:
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This paper reviews the role of past and future visual observations in cometary research. The strengths and limitations of visual observations are explored for the benefit of both investigators who might have to use them and observers who wish to make real contributions to the field. We consider the characteristics of the eye-brain combination as a detector and compare them with those of modern detectors. We specifically evaluate visual discoveries, magnitude estimates, and drawings.

Type
Section I: Observing Techniques and Interpretation
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 116 , Issue 1: Comets in the Post-Halley Era , 1989 , pp. 209 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1991

References

Beyer, M. (1952) ‘La Physique des Cometes,’ Mem. Soc. Roy. de Liege 13, 236 Google Scholar
Blackwell, H.R. (1946) ‘Contrast thresholds of the human eye,’ J. Opt. Soc. Am. 36, 624.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bobrovnikoff, N.T. (1941) ‘Investigations of the brightness of comets, Part 1 and 2,’ Contributions from the Perkins Observatory, Nos. 15 and 16.Google Scholar
Bouma, R.J. (1987) ‘The lightcurve of P/Halley: An analysis of amateur observations,’ Proc. International Halley Seminar, Alden Biesen, Belgium.Google Scholar
Divine, N., Fechtig, H., Gombosi, T.I., Hanner, M.S., Keller, H.U., Larson, S.M., Mendis, D.A., Newburn, R.L., Reinhard, R., Sekanina, Z., and Yeomans, D.K. (1986) ‘The Comet Halley dust and gas environment,’ Space Science Reviews 43, 1–104.Google Scholar
Donn, B., Rahe, J., and Brandt, J.C. (1986) ‘Atlas of Comet Halley 1910 II,’ NASA SP-488, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Edberg, S. (1983) ‘International Halley Watch amateur observer’s manual for scientific comet studies,’ JPL Publication 83-16, Pasadena, California.Google Scholar
Edberg, S. (1988) ‘Working with amateur astronomers: Lessons from the International Halley Watch,’ in Stargazers-Amateur Contributions to Astronomy (Proc. IAU Colloquium 98), Dunlap, S. and Gerbaldis, M. (eds.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp.95–99.Google Scholar
Edberg, S., and Morris, C.S. (1986) ‘Observational factors affecting studies of P/Halley’s visual light curve,’ in Proc. 20th ESLAB Symposium on the Exploration of Halley’s Comet, ESA SP-250, Vol. I, Heidelberg, pp. 609–612.Google Scholar
Everhart, E. (1967) ‘Comet discoveries and observation selection,’ Astron. J. 72, 716–726.Google Scholar
Fischer, D., and Huttemeister, S. (1987) ‘Comet P/Halley: Visual magnitude estimates and gas production,’ in Symposium on the Diversity and Similarity of Comets, ESA SP-278, pp. 599–605.Google Scholar
Fry, G.A. (1965) ‘The eye and vision,’ in Applied Optics and Optical Engineering, Vol. II Kingslake, R. (ed.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 1–76.Google Scholar
Green, D.W.E., Rokoske, T.L., and Morris, C.S. (1986) ‘The ICQ photometric archive for P/Halley and other comets,’ in Proc. 20th ESLAB Symposium on the Exploration of Halley’s Comet, ESA SP-250, Vol. III, Heidelberg, pp. 249–251.Google Scholar
Green, D.W.E., and Morris, C.S. (1987) ‘The visual brightness behavior of P/Halley during 1981-1987,’ Astron. Astrophys. 187, 560–568.Google Scholar
Ho Peng, Yoke (1962) ‘Ancient and medieval observations of comets and novae in Chinese sources,’ Vistas Astron. 5, 127–225.Google Scholar
Holetschek, J. (1896-1917) ‘Untersuchungen uber die Grosse und Helligkeit der Kometen und Ihrer Schweife,’ Denksch. Wiener Ak., Math. Naturwiss. Kl. 63, 17; 77, 503; 88, 745; 93, 201; 94, 375Google Scholar
Hughes, D.W. (1983) ‘Temporal variations of the absolute magnitude of Halley’s comet,’ Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc. 204, 1291–1295.Google Scholar
Kresak, L. (1982) ‘Comet discoveries, statistics and observational selection,’ in Comets, Wilkening, L.L. (ed.), University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 56–82.Google Scholar
Kronk, G.W. (1984) ‘Comets: A descriptive catalog,’ Enslow, Hillside, NJ.Google Scholar
Machholz, D. (1985) ‘A decade of comets: A study of 33 comets discovered by amateur astronomers between 1975 and 1984,’ published by the author.Google Scholar
Marcus, J.N. (1986) ‘Halley’s true brightness in 1909-11 and comparison to 1985-86,’ in Proc. 20th ESLAB Symposium on the Exploration of Halley’s comet, ESA SP-250, Vol. III, Heidelberg, pp. 307–312.Google Scholar
Marsden, B.G. (1986) ‘Catalog of cometary orbits,’ International Astronomical Union, Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Marsden, B.G. and Roemer, E. (1982) ‘Basic information and references,’ in Comets, Wilkening, L.L. (ed.), University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 707–733.Google Scholar
Meisel, D.D., and Morris, C.S. (1976) ‘Comet brightness parameters: Definition, deter mination and correlations,’ in The Study of Comets, Donn, B., Mumma, M., Jackson, W., A’Hearn, M.A. and Harrington, R. (eds.), NASA SP-393, Washington, D.C., pp. 410–444.Google Scholar
Meisel, D.D., and Morris, C.S. (1982) ‘Comet head photometry: Past, present and future,’ in Comets, Wilkening, L.L. (ed.), University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 413–432.Google Scholar
Morris, C.S. (1979) ‘A new method for estimating cometary brightness,’ Comet News Service 79-1.Google Scholar
Morris, C.S. (1980) ‘A review of visual comet observing techniques. I,’ Internat. Comet Quart. 2, 69–73.Google Scholar
Morris, C.S., and Green, D.W.E. (1982) ‘The light curve of periodic Comet Halley 1910 II,’ Astron. J. 87, 918–923.Google Scholar
Newburn, R.L. (1979) ‘Physical models of Comet Halley based upon qualitative data from the 1910 apparition,’ in The Comet Halley Micrometeoroid Hazard, ESA SP-153, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, pp. 35–50.Google Scholar
Newburn, R.L. (1981) ‘A semi-empirical photometric theory of cometary gas and dust production: Application to Comet Halley’s gas production rates,’ in The Comet Halley Dust and Gas Environment, ESA SP-174, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, pp. 3–18.Google Scholar
Newburn, R.L., and Yeomans, D.K. (1982) ‘Halley’s Comet,’ Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 10, 297–326.Google Scholar
Rahe, J., Donn, B., and Wurm, K. (1969) ‘Atlas of cometary forms: Structures near the nucleus,’ NASA SP-198, Washington D.C. Google Scholar
Roemer, E. (1976) ‘Luminosity and astrometry of comets: A review,’ in The Study of Comets, NASA SP-393, Washington, D.C., pp. 380–407.Google Scholar
Rudenko, M. (1986) ‘Catalog of cometary discovery positions,’ Internat. Comet Quart. 8, 117–129.Google Scholar
Rudenko, M. (1988) ‘Comet hunting by the numbers,’ unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Sidgwick, J. (1955) ‘Observational astronomy for amateurs,’ Faber and Faber, London, p. 251.Google Scholar
Sekanina, Z. (1981) ‘Distribution and activity of discrete emission areas on the nucleus of periodic Comet Swift-Turtle,’ Astron. J. 86, 1741–1773.Google Scholar
Sekanina, Z. (1989) ‘Nuclei of two earth-grazing comets of fan-shaped appearance,’ Astron. J. 98, 2322–2345.Google Scholar
Sekanina, Z. (1990) ‘Cometary activity, discrete outgassing areas, and dust jet evolution,’ this volume.Google Scholar
Williams, C.S., and Becklund, O.A. (1972) ‘Optics: A short course for engineers and scientists,’ Wiley-Interscience, New York.Google Scholar
Vsekhsvyatskii, S.K. (1958) ‘Physical characteristics of comets,’ 1964 translation, Israel program for scientific translations, Jerusalem, NASA TTF-80.Google Scholar