Abstract
This paper reviews the role of past and future visual observations in cometary research. The strengths and limitations of visual observations are explored for the benefit of both investigators who might have to use them and observers who wish to make real contributions to the field. We consider the characteristics of the eye-brain combination as a detector and compare them with those of modern detectors. We specifically evaluate visual discoveries, magnitude estimates, and drawings.
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Larson, S.M., Edberg, S.J., Levy, D.H. (1991). The Modern Role of Visual Observations of Comets. In: Newburn, R.L., Neugebauer, M., Rahe, J. (eds) Comets in the Post-Halley Era. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 167. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3378-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3378-4_9
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