EDITORIAL INFORMATION

Volume I of the Atlas of Images of the Nucleus of Comet Halley is devoted to the images obtained by the Halley Multicolour Camera (HMC) onboard the Giotto spacecraft. It includes a brief description of the whole project, an account of the image processing and calibration procedures, and a summary of the scientific results to facilitate interpretation of the images.

(Extracted from the preface).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Note from the Editors.

-Contents.

-Acknowledgement.

-1. Introduction.

-2. Principles of HMC Imaging and Technical Description.

-3. Perfomance during the Fly-by and Fly-by Geometry.

-4. Image Processing.

-5. Summary of Main Scientific Results.

-6. Description of Images in the Catalogue Section.

-7. The Catalogue of Images.

-8. Cross-References to all HMC Images.

-9- Listing of Key Parameters of All HMC Images.

-Glossary and List of Acronyms.

-List of All HMC Publications.

-References.

OUR REVIEW

Ten years after the spectacular flyby of the Giotto probe near the no less impressive Halley comet, we get this splendid book devoted to the discoveries and images obtained by this spacecraft. In actual fact, it is a work consisting of two volumes, distributed in a special box, the second of which does a job of popularizing the theme equal to that done with the Soviet probes Vega (which also photographed the comet), the one devoted to the Giotto being the first in the series. The work, whose main emphasis is in the photograph area of the mission, has been prepared by the scientists who participated in it.

It is then, an almost definite book, written for posterity, so that the future researchers of the comet, when it comes back to visit us in the year 2061, have all the possible information to prepare their own explorations. The images included in this volume, a true Atlas-Catalogue of what the camera of the Giotto obtained, are no doubt the best legacy of a whole generation. Their inclusion, however, is not only a testimonial one: They are accompanied of all the technical information necessary for their correct identification.