Announcing Comet Hale-Bopp
Credit:
The pictured fuzzy patch
may become one of the most spectacular
comets this century. Although it is very hard to predict how bright a
comet
will become,
Comet Hale-Bopp,
named for its
discoverers,
was spotted farther from the
Sun
than any previous comet - a good sign that it could become
very bright, easily visible to the naked eye. This picture was
taken on July 25th 1995, only two days after its discovery. A
comet
bright enough to see without a telescope occurs only about once a decade. The
large
coma
and long
tail
of bright comets are so unusual and impressive
that they have been considered omens of change by many cultures. A
comet does not streak by in few seconds - but it may change its position
and structure noticeably from night to night.