What is Comet Hale-Bopp?
Comet Hale-Bopp was discovered on July 23, 1995, by amateur astronomers (scientists specializing in the study of matter in outer space) Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp. This comet astounded astronomers around the world, as it was the brightest comet to pass by Earth in about 400 years. Comet Hale-Bopp was visible to the naked eye for more than 8 months. It was visible in the early morning sky in the fall and winter of 1996, and in the early evening sky in the early spring of 1997. At 25 miles (40 kilometers) across, Comet Hale-Bopp is a relatively large comet. In contrast, Comet Hyakutake, the comet that passed by Earth in the spring of 1996, was only about 1 mile across. However, since Hale-Bopp never came closer than 120 million miles to Earth and Hyakutake came within 10 million miles of Earth, the two comets appeared equally bright in the night sky. Sources: Astronomy, vol. 24 (February…
