This past January, I offered to send (as e-mail attachments) data files for
the Mac based Voyager II astronomy software showing the motion of the comet
Hale-Bopp from various viewpoints and data files for the opposition of Mars
which is going on currently. The response (and appreciation) was
gratifying. I'm sure I sent out over 20 sets of files.
One of my students, Wen Yu Su, offered to put the files on his home page
and I can now report success. If you are perhaps still interested, you
can download these files from
Once downloaded, use Stuffit Expander to expand the file and you will see
the Voyager II icon appear.
Double click on the icon to open your Voyager II program.
While not many may need these files now, I would appreciate anyone
downloading these files to report back to me privately whether or not they
worked for you. If you post it, I won't get it because I'm setting Phys-l
to a vacation stop while I go skiing out in Colorado for Spring break.
Descriptions of the files are below.
OH BY THE WAY, I have taken simply great pictures of the comet (opinion of
others) in the evening and in the morning. I used an SLR with a 200 mm
telephoto lens at maximum aperture (f/2.8) with Royal Gold 1000 Kodak film.
Exposure times were 1 s, 5 s, 10 s, 15 s 20 s 25 s with all giving images
of the comet with longer exposures giving longer star tracks. The second
tail was becoming visible by 15 seconds. I put the best morning picture
(25 s exposure at 4:30 a.m. last Sunday) up in the faculty mail room and
ever since, facultly have been stopping by my room not only to pick up my
Hale-Bopp handout but to request a copy of the photograph. Maybe I can
scan this in for you to view after Spring Break.
bye, DiRT
Hale-Bopp file info:
1. File: Hale-Bopp 10/1/96 edge -=> Shows the motion of the comet starting
last October as seen from outside the orbit of Mars in a "edge" on view of
the ecliptic. x = -1.7660 au, y = -0.6428 au, z = 0.684 au. As the comet
moves on a time step of one day, you will also see the earth pass up mars,
which, of course, will also happen this spring.
2. File: Hale-Bopp 10/1/96 above -=> Same as #1 but looking from "above"
the solar system. x = 12.5 au, y = 0, z = 21.5 au. Since the comet is
inclined at 89 degree to the ecliptic, one cannot get a "good" view of the
orbit looking directly down on the solar system.
3. File: Hale-Bopp 3/1 8 pm DF -=> Shows the motion of the comet across
the sky from March 1 (starting below the horizon) to late May as seen at 8
p.m. from Deerfield, IL looking in a northwesterly direction. Date are
printed on the screen at 3 positions. You can easily change the location
to where you live.
4. File: Hale-Bopp 1/1 5 am DF -=> Same as #3 but the comet is seen in
the northeasterly direction from Deerfield, IL at 5:00 a.m. Comet is above
the horizon at 5:00 a.m. from mid-January to mid-April.
5. File: Hale-Bopp 4/1, 8 pm, look NW -=> A zoomed in view of the comet
at its perhelion looking NW from Deerfield, IL.
6. File: Earth/Mars 8/94 above -=> Looking from above the solar system (x
= 0, y = 0, z = 5.0 au) and starting at the beginning of the school year in
1994, hit the time step button, and watch the earth pass Mars twice. Feb.
1995 and March 1997.
7. File: Mars 10/96 -=> Looking at a fixed point in the sky from the
center of the earth, watch Mars trace out its retrograde loop as it moves
from Oct. 11, 1996 to mid-August, 1997. Since the time step can go
backward, one can find when Mars reverses it direction of travel and when
Earth and Mars are lined up with the sun (opposition).
8. File: Mars 1/97 look -=> Traces the path of Mars across the sky (with
dates) as seen from Deerfield, IL at 11:00 p.m. One can easily find out
where to look for Mars. For example, on March 24, 1997, look slightly east
of south, about 50 degrees up from the horizon.
If your students are anything like my students, they loved seeing how the
motion of the comet and the motion of Earth/Mars appeared from various view
points. And they are anxiously awaiting a good time to view the comet. We
use an overhead projection apparatus to project the motion up on a screen
from my Mac IIsi. Several students have started playing around with the
Voyager II program in the computer room. Even Deerfield science teachers
who don't know anything about the Voyager II program except how to open and
run a file have enjoyed showing it to their students.
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David R. Thiessen FUN + PHYSICS = PHUN
Science Department PHYSICS IS PHUN !!
Deerfield High School
1959 North Waukegan Road Education increases your freedom
Deerfield, IL 60015 Because It Increases Your Options !!
Home phone (815) 337-2883
School phone (708) 405-8488 Education will enrich your life
Voice Mail (708) 374-3811 then *610 Even if it doesn't enhance your income !!
School Fax (708) 945-0970
Remember when students brought teachers
Apples instead of driving them bananas ??
dthiessn@nslsilus.org (Quote sources long forgotten)
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