Comet Hunting, as an activity, is the systematic search for undiscovered comets. Generally pursued by a handful of dedicated (or insane) amateurs with "backyard" equipment, it is one area of astronomy where the professionals and amateurs work collectively.
I began comet hunting in 1995, took a year off (during which time Hyakutake discovered his second and Great comet), then began in earnest in the spring of 1997. This site chronicles my quest for the icy travelers.
One of the reasons I enjoy comet hunting, as opposed to more casual observing, is the fact that it takes a very different type of personality to do it systematically and successfully. As I said, there is only a handful of us, maybe 50 or 100 hunters *in the world*. This is because it takes a long time - hundreds of hours at the eyepiece in most cases. Years, in other words. Not many have the dedication to spend 3 or 4 years scanning the sky before their first discovery. I like to be in this odd category of astronomers.
Discovering a comet has it's own set of rewards, as does the search itself. I feel very free and unrestricted while comet hunting. First, it's private time for me. I almost always observe alone and away from places where people could wander up. Just me and the sky and possibly some of the local wildlife. I don't feel tied to a plan or camera or a line of interested viewers looking for a show. In sweeping the sky every object is a mini discovery. I have no doubt seen hundreds of objects that I would not have targeted for observation.
Discovery, of course, is the Goal. The Reason. There is then the joy and satisfaction of setting out on a mission and finishing it. It's a challenge, a game that's played between yourself and your gear and your abilities, other amateurs, and the Moon. There is the beauty of looking at something and knowing that no other human before you has seen what you are seeing. The knowledge that your efforts are contributing something to humanity. The naming of the comet after you.
There are these reasons and more as to why I enjoy comet hunting.
I have two goals for this site. First is to try and make it somewhat interesting to both astronomers and non-astronomers alike. If my email is any indication, I think I am succeeding. Generally, I write with the astronomer in mind. I don't take a lot of time explaining the technical things, like stellar coordinates or what 'collimation' means. For the most part, however, it's not central to the understanding of what's going on. I also try to toss in a little general ramble to spice it up for both types of readers. Because I don't always have time to write long log entries, some of those may be lost on the non-astronomer. Quick lists of objects observed, etc. For those I hope you'll bear with me as time is always a factor.
The second goal is to try and make it the definitive resource about comet hunting on the web. As far as I'm aware, this is the only site dedicated specifically to comet hunting on the web. There are lots of comet sites out there, but this one is the most complete with regards to following the hobby completely. My desire is to try and keep it that way through the general expansion of the site.
In any case, I appreciate your time in viewing this site, and I hope you find some of it to be mildly interesting.
- Tim Harincar
© 2008 Tim Harincar | SkyRover Home
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