Comet Hale Bopp

Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) was discovered on 23 July 1995 by two independent observers, Alan Hale (Cloudcroft, N.M.) and Thomas Bopp (Stanfield, AZ), and is showing potential of putting on a spectacular display as it nears its 1997 perihelion. The image above was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and shows material ejected from the rotating comet in a "pinwheel" pattern. More information on this image is available in the caption.

The nucleus of Hale-Bopp is estimated to be about 30 to 40 km across - Comet Halley's nucleus was estimated at 8 x 8 x 16 km. The nucleus is exhibiting sudden brief eruptions and a complex mottled surface. Its absolute magnitude of -1 makes it one of the brightest comets to reach the inner solar system in history. Closest approach to Earth will occurred on 22 March 1997 at a distance of 1.3 A.U. It made for a spectacular view in the March morning sky, and will be in the evening skies from mid-March to early May. Closest approach to the Sun was on 31 March at a distance of .91 A.U. The comet is estimated to have last passed by the Sun about 4200 years ago.

Hale-Bopp was visible low in the northern hemisphere pre-dawn sky in February to the ENE just below the constellation Cygnus. By the end of March the comet moved from Cygnus to Lacerta to Andromeda in the NE pre-dawn sky. The comet will be disappearing from the pre-dawn sky at the beginning of April. Since mid-March, however, the comet has also been visible in the early evening sky to the NW to WNW, at the bottom of Perseus. The comet will become higher in the sky through mid-April, and then move down towards the horizon by early May. The comet is currently one of the brightest objects in the sky and the tail is spectacular.