Plenty of West Australians of a certain age remember being bundled out of bed in 1986 to look at a faint smudge in the sky. This week a post about Halley's Comet set off a wave of those memories, along with a bit of maths about who might see it again when it returns in 2061.
The person who started it recalled their dad driving the family far beyond the Adelaide city lights in 1986 to see the comet, and the adults talking in hushed tones about how it only comes around once in a lifetime. Now a Perth local, they said they are starting to realise they're getting older, but wouldn't change a thing.
Backyards, rooftops and a drillship
Others had near-identical stories. One local watched it as a child in Esperance, and said there's nothing like a dead-still country night. Another, five at the time in regional WA, remembered their dad getting them out of bed and saying it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
"I remember him saying how I will get to see it twice and that made me feel special and has stuck with me." - Perth local
One person watched it while lying on the helideck of a drillship in the Timor Sea, with no light pollution at all. Another noted that the 1986 showing was considered underwhelming compared with the comet's reputation, and said their grandfather, who had seen it as a small child on its previous visit, was disappointed.
Photo: Martin.sandrock via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). The Milky Way at Cape Leveque. File photo.
When is it back?
Halley's Comet comes past roughly every 76 years. Its last closest approach to the Sun was on 9 February 1986, and its next is predicted for 28 July 2061. Those who were kids in 1986 will be in their 80s, which prompted some gentle gallows humour from younger locals. One born in 1997 said simply: "I think I'm cooked."
A local also recommended Queensland folk singer Darren Hanlon's song about the 1986 comet for anyone feeling nostalgic.
Sources: comments from Perth and WA locals.
Main photo: Halley's Comet in March 1986, by NASA/W. Liller via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
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