Last night, I saw an incredible sight. My father woke me up and told me to come outside because he wanted me to see something. I was so sleepy, my body felt like concrete, but imagine if I'd stayed in bed! How would I have felt if I'd missed seeing a comet?

The night sky was scattered with stars. It was crisp and clear, and you could see forever.

"Look," Dad said, but I couldn't see anything. The sky looked the same as it always did – black velvet sprinkled with diamonds.

Then I saw it. Far away, there was a ball of light. "It's Halley's comet," Dad said. At first, I was frightened. It was a strange visitor to the night sky. I hadn't seen anything like it before. What if it were dangerous?

My father explained that Halley's comet is a huge chunk of rock and ice with a tail of dust. It's five billion years old! It had traveled from the edge of our solar system to fly around the sun. He said that there are other comets out there, but most will never come near Earth. Others come and are never seen again, like ghosts of the sky.

Halley's comet is due to visit again in 1986. I'll be eighty-six then! I can't imagine that. Maybe I'll watch it with my grandchildren. Maybe even my great-grandchildren.