Frances Hall, age 13, of Nashville, Tenn., for her question:

IS HALLEY'S COMET COMING SOON?

Halley's comet is a brilliant comet. In May, 1910, the comet's head was as brilliant as the brightest stars in the heavens. Its great tail stretched about two thirds the distance from the horizon to directly overhead.

Astronomers now estimate that Halley's comet will return and be visible from earth in about 1986.

Halley's comet belongs to the solar system and has a definite path around the sun at regular intervals. It appears every 76 to 79 years. Historical records show that it has appeared at fairly regular intervals since 240 B.C.

Halley's comet can be seen only as it nears the sun. It was last near the sun on April 24, 1910, approaching as close as 55 million miles. It was first photographed in August, 1910, when it was about 300 million miles from the sun.

The comet came as close to the earth as 14 million miles on May 20, 1910. On the next day, the earth is believed to have passed through the comet's tail.

Halley's comet was last observed with a camera on July 1, 1911.

The comet is named for English astronomer Edmund Halley who calculated its orbit in 1682.