XN000022-1985-03-23 — Page 16

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SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1985

HALLEY: BRIGHTEST NEXT MARCH

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COMET HALLEY, WHICH CAN BE SEEN FROM THE EARTH ONCE EVERY 76 YEARS, WILL STAGE A COMEBACK FROM MID-NOVEMBER.

BY LATE MARCH NEXT YEAR, THE COMET WILL SHINE IN ALL ITS GLORY WITH ITS TAIL STRETCHING FOR MORE THAN 10 DEGREES, EQUIVALENT TO SOME 20 MOONS LINING UP IN THE SKY. THUS, IT CAN BE SEEN WITH UNAIDED EYES.

IN FACT, IT IS POSSIBLE TO TRACK HALLEY IN SEPTEMBER WITH A TELESCOPE OR SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES.

ACCORDING TO CALCULATIONS, HALLEY'S TAIL WILL BE SUFFICIENTLY CONSPICUOUS BY CHRISTMAS. HOWEVER IN THE MONTH FOLLOWING THE END OF NEXT JANUARY, THE COMET WILL BE TOO NEAR THE SUN TO ALLOW OBSERVATION.

HALLEY'S RETURN HAS CAUSED MUCH EXCITEMENT ALL OVER THE WORLD. AN INTERNATIONAL HALLEY WATCH HAS BEEN ORGANISED BY NASA OF THE US TO CO-ORDINATE THE EFFORTS OF PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS. THE COLLATED DATA WILL FORM CONTINUOUS AND DETAILED RECORDS FOR THE CHANGING POSITIONS AND SHAPES EXHIBITED BY THE COMET UPON ITS RETURN.

IN ADDITION, FIVE SPACE PROBES WILL BE DESPATCHED BY RUSSIA, FRANCE, JAPAN AND THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY TO GET A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF HALLEY,

IN HONG KONG, THE URBAN COUNCIL'S SPACE MUSEUM WILL LAUNCH A NEW SKYS HOW THE RETURN OF COMET HALLEY FROM MARCH 27 (WEDNESDAY).

IT WILL GIVE A DETAILED INTRODUCTION ON THE HALLEY'S COMEBACK AND THE OBSERVATION PLANS OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES.

THERE WILL BE FIVE SCREENINGS OF THE SKYS HOW ON WEEKDAYS : AT 2.30 PM, 4 PM, 5.30 PM, 7.30 PM AND 9 PM. TWO ADDITIONAL SHOWS AT 11 AM AND 12.30 PM WILL BE STAGED ON SUNDAY AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED ON TUESDAYS.

TICKETS ARE PRICED AT $15. CONCESSIONARY TICKETS AT $10 EACH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN AGED BETWEEN SIX AND 15 AND TO STUDENTS WITH IDENTIFICATION. THEY ARE ON SALE AT THE BOX OFFICES OF THE SPACE MUSEUM, HONG KONG COLISEUM, CITY HALL AND QUEEN ELIZABETH STADIUM.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

A SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE NEW SKYS HOW THE RETURN OF COMET HALLEY+ WILL BE PRESENTED AT 11.30 AM ON MARCH 29 (FRIDAY) IN THE SPACE THEATRE OF THE HONG KONG SPACE MUSEUM.

MEMBERS OF THE PRESS WHO WISH TO ATTEND ARE REQUESTED TO ASSEMBLE AT THE MUSEUM FOYER NOT LATER THAN 11.20 AM THAT DAY.

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