After the let downs of Kohoutek and Halley’s comet, I thought comets were just things I’d never see with my real eyes. Then there was Hale-Bopp. I remember it splashed across the sky driving home from work, the sun’s light having barely gone, and long into the night. Big and bright enough to have amazed everyone alive 100 years ago, but lost on the TV viewing populous of today. I told everyone you’ll never see anything like this for the rest of your life. Most didn’t seem to care.
Most people are like that it seems-not interested in what’s “out there”.
The wonders of the universe. People that do come out to our observatory want to know what is out there, and they don’t leave disappointed (unless it’s cloudy).🔭🙂
During the time frame of 1995-1997 I was flying from Anchorage to Osaka, Japan and then returning to Anchorage after short trips to Taipei, Seoul and Manila.
The return flight to Anchorage was an all night flight and gave us the opportunity to view the Hale-Bopp from high altitudes. Most flights were at 37,000 feet and above most of the denser air. Viewing the comet was easy but easier if you didn’t look directly at the comet and tail.
This is because the structure of the human eye is such that the center of the pupil is made of cells called “cones” and the outer part made of cells called “rods.” We use the cones during high light hours and the rods in dark hours.
You can test this by throwing a ball in the air above you at night and try to catch it by looking at the ball. If you look slightly away from the ball, it is easy to catch!
We were able to see the comet for hours....