TV REVIEW : A COMPLETE PBS PRIMER ABOUT HALLEY’S COMET

It’s coming, right on schedule. But what exactly is Halley’s comet? And what meaning does it hold for us? Those questions are explored in “Comet Halley,” an hourlong special on public television tonight.

It’s worth watching if you have anything more than a passing curiosity about this incredible astronomical phenomenon that reappears to star-gazers on Earth every 76 years. The program, which airs at 8 p.m. on Channel 50 and at 9 p.m. on Channels 28, 15 and 24, is a primer on the subject.

Although narrator James Earl Jones at times is too melodramatic, as if he were trying to compensate for the dryness of some of the scientific material, “Comet Halley” in the main offers a thorough overview of how Halley’s comet has been understood during the course of history, what is known about comets now, how scientists plan to study Halley’s comet as it passes by the planet early next year and what they hope it may tell them about the origins of the universe.

So much for the serious stuff. Near the end of the program we get a preview of what’s next: the marketing of Halley’s comet. Yes, there will be everything from Halley’s Comet whiskey to Halley’s Comet knapsacks. What’s the angle? One of the promoters of these goods sits confidently before the camera and predicts they’ll sell well because people will feel they’re “buying a symbol of their faith in the future.”