ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 25, 1996 TAG: 9603250094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN STAFF WRITER
note: above
IT MAY BE JUST a dirty snowball, but people by the hundreds are turning out to get a glimpse of Comet Hyakutake.
``Look for the Q-Tip." Or the dirty snowball. Or the little white dot.
That's what hundreds of mostly first-time stargazers heard Saturday night as they peered into a telescope for a closer view of the solar system's newest celestial celebrity - Comet Hyakutake.
Hopkins Planetarium director Britt Rossie estimated he had shown the comet to 200 people by 9 p.m., and at least 100 more stood waiting their turn.
With a pair of night-vision goggles and several other telescopes set up around Green Hill Park in Roanoke County west of Salem, nearly 500 people got a chance to see what astronomers say might be the brightest comet in 20 years. People stayed until 11:40 p.m., said Mark Catron, a planetarium assistant. The planetarium and the Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society sponsored the sky watch.
Miles away, atop a Giles County mountain, Virginia Tech astrophysicists also took advantage of the rare and vivid sighting. Researchers who are mapping the galaxy's hydrogen gas trained their specially made camera, which uses a microchip instead of film, on the special visitor late Saturday night.
"It's dirt and ice from when the Earth began; it's been in a freeze for 4.6 billion years," said Brian Dennison, fiddling with his computer to sharpen the distinctive image that showed up on the screen.
From the bright, clearly visible comet streaked a long, thin, very distinct tail. Dust and other debris spun around the tail.
"It's remarkably close," Dennison said, pegging the distance at 11 or 12 million miles.
Dennison's partner, John Simonetti, first photographed Comet Hyakutake on March 13. "It'll be around until the first few days of April," he said.
From the mountaintop where the Miles Horton Research Center stands, Hyakutake streamed vividly across the sky and was easily spotted with the naked eye or binoculars. As the sensitive camera housed in a special building focused on this strange new object, a small group of skywatchers went outside and simply looked up. The nearby red star Arcturus provided an easy "skymark," since it's the third-brightest star in the sky.
In Salem, the hype surrounding the comet brought out some who were eager to be a part of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime phenomena.
"I thought it would be an amazing opportunity," said 21-year-old Jeremy Bethel of Roanoke.
Bethel and co-workers from the Roanoke Plasma Co. withstood the cold and wind to check out the comet with some night-vision goggles provided by the planetarium.
"I don't know if I'll get the chance to see something like this again," Bethel said.
No one knew they would be following this comet, until a Japanese amateur astronomer and comet hunter, Yugi Hyakutake, discovered it Jan. 30.
For astronomy buffs, the unexpected find is an added bonus.
"It's kind of a pleasant surprise, because not only is it a naked-eye comet, but it's going to turn out to be one of the brightest," said planetarium employee Mark Catron.
Anita Trent and Brenda Belcher brought four members of Roanoke County's Cub Scout Pack 280 to catch a glimpse of Hyakutake. The scouts visited the planetarium in February and have been studying astronomy since.
After taking a look, they offered their educated opinions.
"It was like a blur in the sky," said 8-year-old Garrett Belcher.
"It looks like a really bright star," offered Brian Trent, 9, adding that the comet wasn't as impressive as meteor showers he has seen.
Charlie Crabtree Jr. and his dad, Charles Sr., came to see the comet so 15-year-old Charlie could earn extra credit. His class at Salem High School has been studying weather, and the comet sort of fit into that, he said.
Even without the bonus points, he probably would have come, because he's a science fiction fan, he said. The elder Crabtree wanted to see the comet because "it's something you don't get to do every day."
Paul Smith's wife, Beth, gave him a telescope for Christmas, and he's still learning how to use it. He wanted to see the comet through one of the planetarium's high-powered telescopes because - as his 6-year-old son, Tyler, said - the comet looks "pretty blurry" through his dad's telescope.
After finding the comet, Tyler seemed pretty satisfied. "I saw a very bright planet - real white, solid white."
Paul Smith wasn't as impressed and said he thought the moon and stars would be more interesting.
"There wasn't much to it. It's just a spot."
Staff writer Allison Blake contributed to this story.
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. ERIC BRADY/Staff Randy Elmore (left) and Lorettaby CNBPaul take a look at the crescent moon Saturday from Roanoke
County's Green Hill Park while they wait for the sky to darken
enough for viewing the comet. color
2. A spectral line imaging camera at the Virginia Tech observatory
at Mountain Lake shows two electronic images of Hyakutake, the one
on the left taken Saturday and the other Friday. color
3. Virginia Tech physics Professors Brian Dennison (left) and John
Simonetti prepare their camera for a night of electronic
photography. Dennison is pouring liquid nitrogen into part of the
camera; the imager is much more sensitive when supercooled. color