Comet of the Century

by Schaaf, Fred; Ottewell, Guy

• ISBN13: 9780387947938
• ISBN10: 0387947930
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-12-01
• Publisher: Copernicus Books

Summary

The twentieth century has been a disappointment, comet- wise, but the object now approaching, Comet Hale-Bopp, bears a striking resemblance to the Great Comet of 1811, the biggest-headed and most enduringly visible comet ever known. Will Hale-Bopp be our Comet of the Century? In this book, whose publication is timed to coincide with Hale-Bopp's first naked-eye appearance in the evening sky, the renowned astronomy writer Fred Schaaf offers a delightful history of all the greatest comets ever recorded -- the astonishing lore, the even more astonishing science, and how you can participate in comet history by catching a glimpse (maybe more than a glimpse) of one of the great comets of the century.

Table of Contents

Preface
Overview
A Comet Passes	p. 3
Anatomy of a Ghost	p. 27
Dirty Snowballs and the Nurseries of Leviathans	p. 51
The Spectacular Deaths of Comets	p. 61
Swords of Damocles	p. 86
Observing and Discovering Comets	p. 110
Halley and Its Periodic Kin	p. 133
Through the Ages with Halley's Comet	p. 157
What Makes a Comet Great?	p. 197
The Comets Before 1700	p. 204
The Comets from 1700 to 1995	p. 229
The Grand Approach of Comet Hale-Bopp	p. 273
Hyakutake Lightning	p. 291
A Narrative Calendar for Observing Hale-Bopp	p. 305
Comet of the Century	p. 328
Periodic Comet Numbers	p. 331
Great Comets in History	p. 335
Closest Comets in History	p. 339
Celestial Coordinates	p. 344
Orbital Elements	p. 346
Comet Brightness Formula and Estimating Brightness	p. 348
How to Report a Comet Discovery	p. 351
Ephemeris for Comet Hale-Bopp	p. 354
Glossary	p. 359
Sources of Information	p. 367
Credits	p. 371
General Index	p. 373
Comet Index	p. 381
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.