11,641 amateur visual magnitude estimates of Halley's comet collected by NASA's International Halley Watch from January 23, 1985, through February 23, 1988. The data were submitted by observers in the Amateur Observation Network and archived as part of a broader multi-disciplinary collection spanning the full wavelength range. The evaluation and selection for the archive was the responsibility of Discipline Specialist Teams in cooperation with the Lead Center.
Use Cases
- Analyzing the long-term brightness curve of Halley's comet based on the 1985-1988 observation period
- Studying the variability and subjectivity in amateur astronomical measurements based on the described dependence on observer technique and instrument quality
- Researching the contribution of amateur networks to historical space science based on the International Halley Watch framework mentioned in the description
Strengths
- 11,641 individual measurements provide a substantial observational record
- Data covers a specific, multi-year time range from 1985 to 1988
- Part of a larger, curated NASA archive with multi-disciplinary data
Limitations
- Visual magnitudes are described as highly subjective, varying by observer technique and instrument quality
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
- Row count is known, but specific file formats and data structure are unknown
Provenance
- Source
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), International Halley Watch (IHW)
- Collection Method
- Submitted by amateur observers to the IHW Amateur Observation Network, with evaluation by Discipline Specialist Teams.
- Time Range
- 1985-01 23 to 1988-02-23
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-10 19:24:07.872507; freshness should be verified
- Geography
- null