Witnessing Halley’s Comet Passing-by
HALLEY’S Comet is probably the most famous comet humanity ever promoted. It came close to Earth way back in 1986. It takes a seventy to seventy-six years trip around the Sun before it says “Hello!” to Earth. It is expected to visit us again in 2061. It is the only naked-eye comet visible to humanity without the intervention of a telescope. It is named after its discoverer, Sir Edmond Halley.
My late dad was a man of science. He reads a lot. He bought many encyclopedias for me and my brother to read. He brought us to caves and historical sites that include the tomb of Mahsuri in Langkawi, Gua Kelam in Perlis and even to the official launch of the factory for Malaysia’s first national car, Proton. On 11 April 1986, he urged us to sit on the lawn outside the house with a pair of binoculars waiting for a celestial object to pass by the Earth. I was eleven years old at that time.
And so, we waited. After much searching across the sky, there it was. The Halley’s Comet. It was reported that the distance from Earth was thirty-nine million miles. For me, through the binoculars, it appeared as a faint smudge with a rainbow-coloured tail. It was a better viewing experience for the Southern Hemisphere given its height relative to the horizon. However, as Malaysia is near the equator, it does not really matter for us. The comet was probably at approximately 45% from the horizon. We were fortunate that there was no rain that night.
I am not sure whether I was excited. After all, it is just a bloody rock floating in space with no objective in its life. However, it is a bragging factor for me. In 2061, if I am still alive, I would be at the age of eighty-six. If I can witness it again, that would mean that I would be the very rare few who can brag about witnessing it pass by Earth twice. In 2061, my youngest son would be forty-five years old. I doubt that he would accompany me sitting on the lawn waiting for the rock. Perhaps, by God’s will, my grandkids can, if any.
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