greatest comet

[Laurie61]

Yup, Hale bopp was a super comet  I think the one which has given me the most personal satisfaction was finding C/2009 R1 (McNaught) low in the north, end of june 2010.    

[LukeSkywatcher]

Ah yes, now you mention it...

It was the first thing I ever saw after I was born. I saw it through the delivery suite window. I tried pointing it out to the midwife but she just kept slapping my bum. So I thought comets must be wrong or something.

Checking back it's also in some of our wedding photos. I find them difficult to look at for that very reason. I just keep thinking about that midwife...

I was joking about the 20 yrs. You saw it when you were born and it was still visible when you got married?.

Hyakutake seems to be getting a high vote. I dont remember it. When was that in our skies?

I remember back in the mid-eighties when Halley was visible and all the hype about it, but i was in my astronomy infancy then and never got to see it. 

I'll wait for it to come around again.

[Paul M]

I was joking about the 20 yrs. You saw it when you were born and it was still visible when you got married?.

Hyakutake seems to be getting a high vote. I dont remember it. When was that in our skies?

I remember back in the mid-eighties when Halley was visible and all the hype about it, but i was in my astronomy infancy then and never got to see it. 

I'll wait for it to come around again.

Sorry there was some artistic license in my H-B account. I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you!  

Hyakutake was a bit of a wizz.

I only had one eye on astronomy around then. Working long hours and having a young son etc. But I did keep a look out for interesting events.

Hyakutake was already upon us when I sat up and noticed.

I got just one glimpse through the clouds as it passed virtually overhead. Very bright and very blue. Never seen anything like it before or since.

[David Smith]

Tough call between Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake. Hyakutake was the first comet I ever knowingly saw (1996) and was quite spectacular, possibly more impressive visually than Hale-Bopp. Hale-Bopp on the other hand was fascinating to follow for something like 18 months of build up followed by quite a show at the end. Could do with another great comet as my imaging kung fu has come on a bit since then ......

If pushed I would probably vote Hyakutake for the reasons above.

[Ptarmigan]

Agreed that Hale-Bopp, Hyakutake et al. were great (as were Kohutek and Halley for the wrong, hype, reasons ! )

But I'm a bit surprised that no one has voted for Arend-Roland (1956-1957).

It was the greatest for me because it was spectacular and my first and 1957 was a very good year, it included my first aurora, my first meeting with Sir P when he visited our astronomy society, my first satellite and the first S@N broadcast. *

Apparently it was also the first comet mentined in S@N - in that first episode, facts which I had forgotten till a little google just now !

Comet Ikeya-Seki (1965 or thereabouts) for its sheer brilliance and size must come a close second fav. for me.

Of it Wikip says "It proved to be one of the brightest comets seen in the last thousand years, and is sometimes known as the Great Comet of 1965."

* and the best solar max so far !

[Paul M]

Agreed that Hale-Bopp, Hyakutake et al. were great (as were Kohutek and Halley for the wrong, hype, reasons ! )

But I'm a bit surprised that no one has voted for Arend-Roland (1956-1957).

It was the greatest for me because it was spectacular and my first and 1957 was a very good year, it included my first aurora, my first meeting with Sir P when he visited our astronomy society, my first satellite and the first S@N broadcast. *

Apparently it was also the first comet mentined in S@N - in that first episode, facts which I had forgotten till a little google just now !

Comet Ikeya-Seki (1965 or thereabouts) for its sheer brilliance and size must come a close second fav. for me.

Of it Wikip says "It proved to be one of the brightest comets seen in the last thousand years, and is sometimes known as the Great Comet of 1965."

* and the best solar max so far !

I never saw Arend-Roland or Ikeya-Seki but it feels like I know them.

The relatively sparse choice of popular astronomy books available in the 70's all had images and accounts of these comets. They were surely the comets of their day.

Today's youngsters will look at pictures of Hale-Bopp and think "some day I'll see one like that!"

[Hitesh]

Hale-Bopp is the best I've seen, an absolute joy

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[Ptarmigan]

Today's youngsters will look at pictures of Hale-Bopp and think "some day I'll see one like that!"

So will some of todays oldies ! :)

Or should I say "some day I'll see another one like that!"

Quote "

I only had one eye on astronomy ..

.. Hyakutake was already upon us when I sat up and noticed. "

He hee, me too, bringing up child, I independantly discovered it one night, -  a great big almost evil eye looming over my house in the thin haze it was that bright. Sent me back indoors to look thro' the astronomy mags in an unread heap !!!!!!!!!!!

[David Smith]

I remember reading reports of how great Hyakutake was though 2 weeks of solid cloudy skies before finally getting a break. Had looked unsuccessfully for some (significantly) fainter comets before without success and so went out armed with binoculars expecting to have to search for something faint. Got outside and it nearly knocked me off my feet it was the big / bright. Don't think I will forget that in a hurry.

[Paul M]

So will some of todays oldies ! :)

Or should I say "some day I'll see another one like that!"

Quote "

I only had one eye on astronomy ..

.. Hyakutake was already upon us when I sat up and noticed. "

He hee, me too, bringing up child, I independantly discovered it one night, -  a great big almost evil eye looming over my house in the thin haze it was that bright. Sent me back indoors to look thro' the astronomy mags in an unread heap !!!!!!!!!!!

I wasn't quite that much in the dark. I'd actually gone outside specifically to look for.

Perhaps like you though, Some issues of Sky and Telescope never got looked at during that era.

It seems a recurring theme here on SGL. Loved the sky as a child and young man then life gets in the way. Then as we regain our work/life balance we return! 

[Ptarmigan]

It seems a recurring theme here on SGL. Loved the sky as a child and young man then life gets in the way. Then as we regain our work/life balance we return! 

Couldnt have put it better myself !

but also, later, another factor came in for me, it was work as well ! Giotto past Halley and the spacecraft that later became Ulysses, but that is another story

[algol]

I know what you guys mean, work got in the way for me too, a high pressure high stress environment, which in turn has lead to serious depression and anxiety issues, but getting back into this lovely hobby has been like finding a different me from an earlier time, really helped me to take stock and attempt to move on.

Plus the things you see are amazing, so yeah that's cool.

[Astralstroll]

Another vote for Hale-Bopp. A lovely comet, easy to see with the naked eye and seemed to be around for ages. Wish there were more like that one.

[kev]

Hale bopp for me too

Memories of a spectacularly crowded public star party at letchworth where we were so sucessful we caysed a traffic jam on the road by our observatory.

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[Rihard]

+1 Hale Bopp in 1997!

[barkis]

Hale Bopp, and Hayakutake were indeed wonderful sights in our skies.

Probably millions of images were taken of them.

A sobering thought, these two magnificent specimins came into the Solar system at about ninety degrees to the Ecliptic,

so very likely they dropped in from The Oort Cloud, a vast shell of debris left over from the formation of the Solar System.

Comets that visit us from that region of space, have very very long trips ahead of them, and may only visit us once.

Periodic travellers from the Kuiper Belt region, are easier to spot coming into our inner planet region of space, but Oort cloud interlopers can arrive

at any angle, as did Bopp and Hyakutake, and therefore can very difficult to spot late until they are amost upon us, unless they become gaseous early on.

The Kuiper belt being a disc of debris, the plane of which is the same almost as the Ecliptic, so comet seekers pay more attention to that region, and more likely

to find incoming comets quite early on.

Comets are very beautiful objects, but for obvious reasons best viewed from a respectable distance.

Ron.

[Peter Drew]

Although from appearances, Hale- Bopp was one of the greatest comets in our lifetime so far, it's possible that circumstances can make a comet "great" for you personally. Arend-Roland was my first comet and certainly focused my astronomical interest as well as the aurora of the same year. Comet Bennet was also memorable as it was the first I saw from my first house, as was Hayakutake viewed through the window whilst ill in bed with 'flu. I built a 30" Dob for viewing Halley, that was a memorable experience to say the least!. Fortunately, work rarely got in the way as I made telescopes for a living.    

[reddoss]

Hale-Bopp by far the best for me.

[RT65CB-SWL]

For me, it has to be Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp & Holmes...

...and not forgetting Shoemaker-Levy 9.

[Astroscot2]

Hyakutake for me was more impresive than HaleBopp -  I witnessed Hyakutake from a very dark sky in NW of Scotland (Sourlies Bothy) when it was at its closest to earth - The tail was easily visible across 2/3rds of the sky - HaleBopp was brigher however it was lower in the sky - I did enjoy following HB for many months. 

I wonder if we will see anything like those 2 comets again?

Mark

[stevetynant]

HaleBopp was visually stunning but didn't anyone enjoy the drama of seeing ison enter the sun's orbit and watching it disintegrate live on internet feed from Nasa. I found out fascinating I must admit.