Re: 1957 Comet

["Tom K. McCarthy" <mcca6300@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov>]

There were two great comets that year, Comets Mrkos and Arend-Roland.  My 
guess is that it was Mrkos that you saw because it displayed very 
definable dust and gas tails.

On Tue, 26 Mar 1996, SR. MARGARET CLARKE wrote:

> The best comet I ever saw was while visiting my relatives in Boise Idaho, 
> Easter week of 1957.   It lay right across the zenith in the early 
> nighttime.   The tail was at least 30 degrees long and easily naked-eye 
> visible.   Judging from my subsequent experience in the intervening 40 
> years, I would say that it should have been memorable, but no one I have 
> ever asked remembers it, nor is it mentioned in any of the number of 
> introductory Astronomy texts I have used over the decades.  Does anyone else 
> remember seeing this comet, and if so, did it have a name?
>
> The temp here last night was -15 F and the sky was full of blowing snow, so 
> Hyakutake continues  to be  a small fuzzball as far as we are concerned -- 
> no one wants to stay outside long enuf to become dark adapted.    Margaret 
> Clarke in Duluth.  mclarke@fac1.css.edu  

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Tom K. McCarthy   Email:mcca6300@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov