Countdown for Halley's Comet

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 15, 3 September 1985, Page 15

Countdown for Halley's Comet

Halley's comet has now been sighted in the pre-dawn sky by three Wellington amateur astronomers in a home observatory in Tawa. This was on August 6th and is probably the first sighting in New Zealand since 1910. My father saw Halley's comet when he was ten. He told me how it filled a large part of the sky with its bright head and tail. It had obviously fascinated him. He is not here to see it again, but ask local identity Frank Mischewski of Ohakune about the comet — he too was ten when he saw it on its last visit. How will man of the late 20th century react to this visit? Comet Halley is right on schedule, It was first sighted three years ago, exactly where predicted. Man might well ask: — as an unguided missile, just how unguided is it? Five man-made probes are on their way to investigate it. They are guided certainly — the product of intelligent calculation. What about the comet itself, dead on target again after many visits going back thousands of years? Let us realise that Halley's comet is being guided all right, and is perfectly under contro], following exactly

the mathematical and physical laws of orbiting bodies. So when we ask, or a child asks us, "What started it?" or "What keeps it on its right path all the time?", we have to wonder. It is nearly twenty years since we put a man on the moon. Perhaps it is timely that our attention is now being drawn again to the mysteries of the universe. In a materialistic age, the cry of the universe triggers off the religious instinct deep in the heart of each of us. Astronomers have assured me you cannot watch the skies for long without experiencing the presence and existence of God. We all have the power of reason, we all wonder, we all know there must be an explanation — that there is meaning for everything, our own lives included. I hope and pray that Halley's comet brings with it a message, for you and for me, of a deeper faith, or a revived faith, in the creator of this universe, as together we ponder the greatness and mystery of creation and reality, and await the appearance of Halley's comet. Fr. Bernie Vella (An astronomer at Carter Observatory has sent me a wealth of material on Halley's comet, including a teacher's manual. Anyone interested might contact me).