P721 CEEFAX 721 Sun 22 Dec 16:40/13 1/4 HALLEY RETURN OF THE COMET - "once a lifetime" Halley's comet is making a return to our skies to the sort of accompaniment that greeted it 76 years ago. Although many of the myths about the comet have now been dismissed, its attraction as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience remains a big drawcard. It is the only bright comet which returns at regular and predictable intervals, and its scientific reception is formidable - it is still a fact that we do not know much about the structure of comets. Comet orbit details 722s7 MoreP721 CEEFAX 721 Sun 22 Dec 16:41/23 2/4 HALLEY RETURN OF THE COMET - Cjefax pages Ceefax is providing this special reference section until the first few months of 1986. In it you can find a sky map (page 728) that will bj updated weekly. A program for the BBC Microcomputer (729) will help you locate the comet with greater accuracy for any time of any day in 1985 and 1986. There is a 10-page profile of the man whose achievements as a scientist have been greatly over-shadowed bz his link with the comet - Edmond Halley (726). Recommended books 724s8 MoreP721 CEEFAX 721 Sun 22 Dec 16:49/29 3/4 HALLEY RETURN OF THE COMET - Ceefax pages There are hints on how best to see the comet (724) - even if it is just a smudged blur, and not the meteor-like spectacle sometimes imagined. There are several spacecraft that will meet Halley's comet and collect an enormous amount of data - Giotto is one of them (725s1-s6). ICE is another spacecraft which has recently had a unique comet encounter (725s7-s10). Fancy a look at the comet through the country's biggest refractor telescope? Find out how on 724s10. Time to leave Britain? 724s1 MoreP721 CEEFAX 721 Sun 22 Dec 16:42/12 4/4 HALLEY RETU5N OF THE COMET - Ceefax pages With all the fuss, what exactly is a comet and why is Halley attracting so much scientific attention? (722). There is a timetable of the comet's path and when best to see it (723s1 and s2) and a calendar of events relevant to Halley's return (723s3-s8). Some of the fuss is, of course, silly fun, but "Halleymania" can have its serious side (727), even if you can't decide how to pronounce Edmond Halley's name (726s: and s10)... Harmful for astronomy? 727s4 More