How to See Halley's Comet

See it in pictures. "NASA" and the "International Halley Watch" provide images of Halley's comet that can be observed online. Other images can be seen at space related websites online as well as books about Halley's comet.

Join an astronomy club. Since exact dates vary slightly from year to year sources for astronomy news and local astronomy clubs may be your best sources of information on observing Halley's comet and its two meteor showers.

Visit a planetarium. Many institutions such as universities and colleges have a planetarium with an extremely large telescope for observing outer space. Purchase a telescope and learn about the constellation and our galaxy.

View Halley's comet between 2061 and 2062. As its orbit approaches the sun and earth it becomes visible to us, and becomes visible again as it travels away. "Classzone" provides an animation to view Halley's orbit and how it interacts with the Sun and other planets.

Catch a meteor shower. As comets travel through space they leave behind a trial of debris along their original orbit. When these objects collide with Earth the friction leads to a white heat observed by us as a "shooting star." Twice a year Earth's orbit travels through two meteor showers mostly made up of pieces of Halley's comet. The Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October.

Learn about comets through research online, in a classroom setting or at the local library. As a comet gets closer to the sun the exposed icy surface is warmed up and turns into a gas creating the appearance of a long tail.