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The first comet I ever saw was Comet Halley, often referred to as Halley's Comet. I observed it through a telescope in my neighbor's backyard in December, 1985, at age 10. Since that night, my interest in astronomy, and particularly comets, has grown. I am eagerly awaiting Halley's return in 2061. A little over 10 years after first observing Halley's Comet through a telescope, two bright comets appeared in Earth's night sky, Comet Hyakutake, the Great Comet of 1996, and Comet Hale-Bopp, the Great Comet of 1997. Both of these comets were visible to the naked-eye, and Unfortunately for those who missed the appearance of Hyakutake, you will have to wait approximately 72,000 years for its return. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to view any comets (without the aid of the Internet) since Hale-Bopp visited Earth. However, I continued to learn more about comets through my volunteering at The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum. As an Education Volunteer, I had the opportunity to teach museum visitors about comets through the Create-A-Comet demonstration. If you are interested in creating your own comet (with adult supervision), The Comet's Tale web site offers instructions (similar to those used at the Adler). For more information on comets, please check out my links.
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© 2005 David Leeds - All rights reserved
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