SEEING THE LIGHT : COMET'S BRIGHTNESS SPARKS INTEREST.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

As the Hale-Bopp comet be-bops toward Earth, professional and amateur astronomers are polishing their telescope lenses to get a gander at the heavenly body they say could be the biggest comet sighting of the century.

And for those who don't have telescopes? They'll still get to see it, because at its brightest it will be visible to the naked eye or, at the very least, through binoculars.

``We've actually been watching it for several years, almost two years, following it with a telescope,'' said Hal Jandorf, astronomy instructor at Moorpark College. ``It's just emerged in the morning sky and it's now the time when the public can see it with the naked eye - now it's the public's turn.''

Discovered jointly in July 1995 by amateur astronomers Alan Hale of New Mexico and Tom Bopp of Arizona, the comet has an approximately 3,000-year orbit around the sun and is estimated to be about 40 miles across - about four times larger than Halley's Comet, according to Jandorf.

That should make it a bright, dazzling sight in the sky - or so the sky-watchers hope.

``We're definitely anxious about it, we're hoping it will be a good and bright comet, but the bad thing is that it's unpredictable,'' said Linda Lippman, secretary of the Ventura County Astronomical Society.

Or as Jandorf puts it: ``It could be a dud, but it could be spectacular.''

The comet will be easily visible in the eastern sky, about 10 to 15 degrees from the horizon, each day about 6 a.m., beginning next week, Jandorf said. As it progresses on its trek around the sun it will get higher in the sky until toward the end of March it will be visible in the evening sky, he said.

The comet will be visible through April, he said.

It may be possible to see it from the city, he said. For example, on Thursday he spotted what he said is still a relatively faint, fuzzy-looking ball through his binoculars ``through all the light and murk in the city,'' Jandorf said.

For optimal views, however, it will be necessary to get out of the city, where light reflected in the sky and smog can obscure views of the comet.

Better to head for the hills or somewhere well away from the city, like Mount Pinos in Frazier Park, where Jandorf and Lippman regularly go for some stargazing.

``Try to find the darkest place away from the marine layer,'' Lippman added. ``Going to the beach isn't a good idea.''

Other good places to go are in Ojai and Santa Barbara, and Lippman herself also sometimes goes to the Ozanaee Campground off Highway 33.

``I know there are National Forest Campgrounds all around the area - those are the kind of good places that people should go,'' she said.

Lippman said that the public should make an effort to see the comet. Any comet is a rare sight, she said, and seeing one is a unique experience.

``If you've never seen a comet it's just amazing: it's something you may never see again,'' Lippman said. ``It's one of those unique experiences that may not be repeated in one's lifetime.

``It's worth anyone's time to find it.''

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--ran in SIMI and CONEJO only--color) Moorpark College astronomy teacher Hal Jandorf uses sky-watching equipment at the school observatory to track the Hale-Bopp Comet.

(2--ran in SIMI, SAC and CONEJO--color) The Hale-Bopp comet, discovered in 1995, will pass close enough to Earth to be seen without a telescope as it makes its 3,000-year trip round the sun. It will be visible in the eastern sky for several weeks.

(3--ran in SIMI, SAC and CONEJO--color in SAC) Astronomer Hal Jandorf says normal binoculars and a smog-free spot away from city lights are all anyone needs to see the passing comet.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News