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Stargazers throughout time have been awed by comets, which can be thought of as stars with tails or "long hair" which have appeared in our dark skies throughout the centuries. Comets would come and go and some would reappear in an orbit and some will not. The shorter period comets are usually easier to forecast because they take less than 200 years to orbit the Sun.
Comets are mainly composed of rock, dust and ice. Comets originate in the outer solar system and they are pulled towards the Sun by gravitational perturbations from planets or even nearby stars. Comets can have a wide variety of orbital periods, which range from a few years to even 100 years or 1000 years.
Comet 17P/Holmes: Image courtesy of Meade 4M
Comets that are visible to the naked eye are rare, but they can be seen with telescopes and binoculars quite often. Another tool that helps amateur astronomers hunt down these comets is the readily available astronomical software that is able to plot the obits of comets throughout the night.
Comets move several degrees, but with the aid of a telescope the movement of the comet can be detected. The larger amateur telescopes (with apertures of 25cm or larger) will have a fainter light grasp and it can be harder to see the details of a comet. Which is why a smaller aperture telescope is usually better for comet viewing.
The International Astronomical Union in 1994 approved a new naming system for comets. Comets are designated by the year of discovery followed by a letter which indicates the half month of the discovery and a number indicating the order of discovery.
Some of the more famous astronomers to discover comets are David Levy (discovered 22). One of David Levy's more well known comets is Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which collided with Jupiter.
Carolyn Shoemaker is a well known comet hunter, who came into comet hunting later in life. She started comet hunting and astronomy after raising her three children. She has discovered the most comets and asteroids to date.
Sir Edmund Halley discovered Halley's comet in 1682. Comet Hale-Bopp was discovered in 1995 by Alan Hale, who used a 16" Meade telescope and Thomas Bopp.
Fred Whipple, an American Astronomer discovered the periodic comet 36P/Whipple in 1933 and he also discovered the asteroid 1252 Celestia as well that year. He invented the "Whipple Shield" which protects spacecraft from impact.
What can also enhance a stargazer's astronomical experience are telescope, binoculars, star charts, and a ccd camera. just to list a few of the items a stargazer might need to observe the dark night sky.
There are thought to be as many as a trillion comets residing in the Oort Cloud. Some current visible comets are 8P/Tuttle and 17P/Holmes which can be seen with binoculars or a telescope.
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Information on: Star parties
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The History of Meade Instruments Telescopes
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