P e r io d ic G o m e t H a lle y r a p id ly a p p r o a c h e s th e S u n , p re p a ra tio n sa reb e in g m a d ein m a n y p la c e s to o b s e rv e th is d is tin g u is h e d c e le s tia l v is ito r . D u rin g

O nth is d a te H a lle y w a s a t d e c lin a tio n+ 1 8 d e g r e e s a n d o n ly 3 0 d e g re e s w e s t o f th e S u n . F ro m th e tim e th e c o m e t ro s e o v e r th e e a s te rn h o r iz o n a tL a S illa t o th e m o m e n t w h e n th e s k y b rig h tn e s s b e c a m e e x c e s s iv e , th e re w a s a t m o s t2 0m in u te s . T h e

d ir e c tio nisth e4 0 c m d o u b le a s tro g ra p h(G P O ) -a ll o th e rsa re p r o h ib ite d to d os o b y s o p h is tic a te d c o m p u te r c o n tro l o r lim it s w itc h e s w ith o u t p ity . T h e4 0c mis a ls o th e s m a lle s t te le s c o p e o nL aS illa ,s o th e o u tc o m e o f th e a tte m p t to o b s e rv e H a lle y w a s v e ry d o u b tfu l.

A t th is v e ry lo w a ltitu d e , a c c u r a te g u id in gis d iffic u lt b e c a u s e th e re fra c tio ninth e E a rth 's a tm o s p h e re c h a n g e s v e ry ra p id ly a sth e

h o riz o n . M o re o v e r, th e e x p e c te d b r ig h tn e s s o f H a lle y w a s o n ly1 4 .5 -1 5 .0a n d it c o u ld under no

T o g e th e r w ithD rs.P e re y ra a n d T u c h o lk e , I w a s n o t o p tim is \ue000 tic a b o u t th e p ro s p e c tso nth a t m o rn in g , w h e n w e m a d e th e firs t a tte m p t. A h e a v y b a r w h ic h s u p p o rts th e d o m e o b s tru c te d th e v ie w a n d it w a s o n ly p o s s ib le to g e t o n e g o o d 1O -m in .1Ia -O p la te . A fte r p r o c e s s in g , it w a s in s p e c te d c a r e fu lly - it s h o w e d s ta rs d o w n to

a n d w ith th a t th e e n d o f o u r a tte m p ts .W esent a te le x toD r.B ria n M a rs d e n a t th elA U G e n tra l T e le g ra m B u re a u in fo r m in g h im

U p o n m y re tu rn to E S O -G a rc h in g , b y th e e n d o f J u ly ,E S O p h o to g r a p h e rG . M a d s e n a n d I d e c id e d to h a v e a c lo s e r lo o k a t th e p la te s . A p h o to g r a p h ic a lly a m p lifie d c o p y w a s m a d e o f t h e J u ly1 9 p la te (th is m e th o d a llo w s v e ry fa in t, e x te n d e d o b je c ts to b e b e tte r s e e n ), a n d th e p la te w a s m e a s u re dinth e S -3 0 0 0 m e a s u rin g m a c h in e . In d e e d , a v e ry fa in t, d iffu s e o b je c t w a s c le a rly s e e n n e a r th e e x p e c te d p o s itio n .It d id n o t c o r r e s p o n d

m e a s u re , a p o s itio n c o u ld b e tra n s m itte d toD r.M a rs d e n w ith th e p r o v is o th a t it w o u ld b e w is e t o a w a it c o n fir m in g o b s e r v a \ue000 tio n s fro m

O nJ u ly 2 7 ,2 8 a n d 2 9 H a lle y w a s o b s e r v e d b y G ib s o n a t P a lo m a r(6 0in c h te le s c o p e ) a n d la te r,o n A u g u s t 1 a n d 4 b y S e k iinJ a p a n . T h e m a g n it u d e o f H a lle yo n A u g u s t 1 w a s 1 6 , c o n fir m in g o u r e a rlie r e s tim a te . T h e s e o b s e r v a tio n s s h o w e d th a t o u r m e a s u re m e n to n J u ly 1 9 w a s w ith in a fe w a r c s e c o n d s o f w h e re

b e h in d th e S u n , ju s t a fte r th e p e r ih e l io n p a s s a g e . A t th a t tim e o u r o b s e r v a tio n s w ill b e v a s tly m o r e im p o r ta n t, b e c a u s e th e y w ill c o n tr ib u te e s s e n tia lly to th e n a v ig a tio n o f th e s p a c e c r a ft, w h ic h a re n o we nro u te to H a lle y fo r c lo s e e n c o u n te rsine a rly M a rc h 1 9 8 6 . A n d , o f c o u rs e , itis a lw a y s n ic e to b e th e fir s t, a t le a s t o n c ein a w h ile. . .!

B e c a u s eo f its v e ry lo w in tr in s ic b a c k g r o u n d n o is e a n d o f th e a b s e n c e o f r e a d o u t n o is e th eP C Dis p a r tic u la r ly w e il s u ite d to a p p lic a tio n s w h e re th e s k y b a c k g r o u n d is lo w . T h e s e s itu a \ue000 tio n s a ls o a llo w t o e x p lo it th e b e s t p a r to f th e d y n a m ic ra n g e , b e fo re s a tu ra tio n s e tsin .T h isis c e r ta in ly th ec as e fo r th e lo n g \ue000 s lit s p e c tr o s c o p y m o d e im p le m e n te d w ith th e B o ile r&

S e re g o A lig h ie r i e t a l., 1 9 8 5a )w a s d e v e lo p e d a tE S T E Ca s a s c ie n tific m o d e l fo r th e F a in t O b je c t C a m e ra(F O G )o fth e H u b b le S p a c e T e le s c o p e

o fa n E S A IE S O a g re e m e n t, w h e reE S A p ro v id e s th e d e te c to r a n d its c o m p u te r s y s te m , th e d o c u m e n ta tio n a n d s u p p o r t d u rin g th e firs t fe w

s lit s p e c t r o s c o p y a n d d ir e c t im a g in g , o p e ra tio n a l s u p p o r t, te le s c o p e tim e a n d d a ta re d u c tio n

r e im a g in g le n s t o a te le v is io n tu b e . T h eT Vc a m e ra d e te c ts th e s c in tilla tio n s a t th e o u tp u t o f th e in te n s ifie r c o r r e s p o n d in g to th e a rriv a l o f in d iv id u a l p h o to n s a t th e firs t p h o to c a th o d e . T h e c e n tra l X -V

b y a v id e o p r o c e s s in g e le c tr o n ic s , a n dina nim a g e m e m o r y th e m e m o r y c e ll c o r r e s p o n d in g to th a t p o s itio n is in c re m e n te d b y o n e . T h e im a g e g r a d u a lly b u ild s u p

a m ini\ue000 c o m p u te r, a n d th e a s tro n o m e r s its a t a te rm in a linth e c o n tro l ro o m . D is p la y s a re p r o v id e d b o th fo r th e a n a lo g o u tp u t o f th e T V

im a g e m e m o ry . E x p e rie n c e h a s d e m o n s tra te d th a t th e p o s s i\ue000 b ility o f e a s ily a n d q u ic k ly m o n ito r in g th e d a ta , w h ile th e s ea re a c q u ir e d , c o n s id e r a b ly in c re a s e s th e e ffic ie n c y a n d th e q u a lity o f th e o b s e rv a tio n .A nIH A P s ta tio n c a n a ls o b e u s e d fo r th e firs t

T h e s ta n d a rd s o lid S c h m id t c a m e ra fo r th e B& C s p e c tro \ue000 g ra p h h a s to o s m a ll a b a c k fo c a l d is ta n c e tob eu s e d w ith th e P C D ,w h o s e fro n t h e a dis o f d iffic u lt a c c e s s b e c a u s e o f th e p e rm a n e n t m a g n e t s u rro u n d in g th e tu b e . F o r th is re a s o n a n e w d io p tr ic c a m e ra w a s d e s ig n e d , te n d e re d o u t, b u ilt a n d p u t in to o p e ra tio n a t th e s p e c tro g ra p h . T h e w h o le p ro c e d u re w a s c o m p le te d w ith s u c c e s sin1 0 m o n th s , th a tis a b o u t o n e h a lf o f th e tim e n o rm a lly re q u ire d fo r th is ty p e o f p ro je c t. T h e o p tic a l d e s ig n w a s m a d e a tE S O a n dis s h o w nin F ig u r e2 .

th e a x is ). T h e c a m e ra w a s b u ilt a c c o rd in g to th eE S Os p e c ific a tio n s b y th e O ffic in e G a lile o , Ita ly . F ig u re 3 s h o w s th e m e a s u re d tr a n s m is s io n c u rv e o f th e n e w c a m e ra w ith th a t c o m p u te d fo r th e s o lid S c h m id t. T h e fa ll a t s h o rt w a v e le n g th sisd u e t o th e lo wU V tra n s m is s io n o f th e

fro m a m e lt w ith a b e tte rU Vtr a n s p a r e n c y , o n e s h o u ldb e a b le to ris e th e e ffic ie n c y o f th e c a m e ra a t 3 5 0 0\u00c4b y15% . T h is o p tio n w ill p r o b a b ly b e im p le m e n te d a t th e e n d o f th e y e a r.

T h ec a m e ra a n d th e d e te c to r w e re m o u n te d a t th e B& C s p e c tro g ra p hinFebruary 1985(F ig .4 ) and have been used for s e v e ra l o b s e rv in g p ro g ra m s . T h e s ta n d a rd fo rm a t u s e dinth e s p e c tro s c o p ic m o d eis1 0 2 4 x 2 5 6 p ix e ls ,2 5~

ty p ic a l c o n fig u ra tio n , th e d e te c to r w a s u s e d w ith th eE S O g r a tin g* 7 to w o r kin th e b lu e ,U V re g io n . T h e lin e a r d is p e r \ue000 s io nisth e n8 5 \u00c4 lm m , th e s p e c tra l c o v e ra g e a b o u t 2 1 0 0\u00c4 . W ith a s lit 1 .5 a r c s e c w id e , th e a v e ra g eFW H M o f th e c o m p a r i\ue000 s o n lin e sis5\u00c4 . T a b le 1 s h o w s th e c h a ra c te ris tic s o f th e g ra tin g s re c o m m e n d e d fo r u s e w ith th e B&C a n d th eP C D .

s p e c tra l re s p o n s e o f th e te le s c o p e -s p e c tro g ra p h -d e te c to r c o m b in a \ue000 tio nw h e n g ra tin g* 7 is u s e d(F ig .5 ).Itis a ls o fo u n d th a t s ta rs of m=1 2 .6 , 1 3 .8 a n d 1 3 .8 g iv e o n e c o u n t/s e c /\u00c4 a t 3 5 0 0 , 3 8 0 0 and 4440\u00c4r e s p e c tiv e ly .In o r d e r to s ta y w ith in th e lin e a r p a r t

F /2 c a m e raa s m e a s u re da t E S o .T h e b r o k e n lin e s h o w s th e a v e ra g e e ffic ie n e y (tra n s m is s io n a n d v ig n e ttin g )o fth e s o lid S c h m id t c a m e ra w h ic his u s e da t th e s p e c tr o - g ra p h