Public interest is sure to grow as the comet moves towards the Sun and brightens this year, particularly if it undergoes further outbursts. According to comet expert Charles Morris of JPL, Hale Bopp could be an easy binocular object during NAW and the general public should be able to find it with help. Newspapers, magazines, TV and radio will be encouraged to run astronomy and space items throughout the week and after, both nationally and locally, and printed material will be available to societies for distribution to schools and the public. Societies will also want to use NAW to publicize their plans for the large partial solar eclipse on October 12. Dr John Mason.
Many people still fear that astronomers want to turn out all the lights.
With the participation of science centres around the country this promises to be the best NAW yet. Ensure that your society makes the most of it. Local societies will want to use their media contacts to ensure that reliable information is given to the public about safe ways of observing the event. The only completely safe way to observe it is, of course, by projecting the Sun's image, which has the added advantage that many people can watch at once. Observers may like to experiment with the pinhole projection technique, using a piece of card with a small hole punched in it.