Abstract
Deep CCD observations have been performed simultaneously with the three 8.2 m Very Large Telescopes at Paranal, in the direction of comet 1P/Halley, on March 6–8, 2003. The comet, at heliocentric distance $r=28.1$ AU, was convincingly detected (at $S/N=8$) on a composite of 32 284 s exposure, as a point-source located 1.4 '' from the expected position. The object is also visible (at the $S/N=3{-}5$ level) on independent per-night or per-instrument composites, confirming the reality of the object, and the match of the observed motion over 3 consecutive nights with the predicted motion of 1P/Halley guarantees that this cannot be another Solar System object. The magnitude of the object, $R=28.22$ ± 0.13, is compatible with the average cross-section of the bare nucleus.
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