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 [
http://seds.lpl.ari…] will become, Comet Hale-Bopp [
http://encke.jpl.na…], named for its discoverers [
http://encke.jpl.na…], was spotted farther from the Sun [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] 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 [
http://www.c3.lanl.…] bright enough to see without a telescope occurs only about once a decade. The large coma [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and long tail [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] 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.
Tomorrow's picture: An Orbiting Iceberg
Explanation
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 [
http://seds.lpl.ari…] will become, Comet Hale-Bopp [
http://encke.jpl.na…], named for its discoverers [
http://encke.jpl.na…], was spotted farther from the Sun [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] 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 [
http://www.c3.lanl.…] bright enough to see without a telescope occurs only about once a decade. The large coma [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and long tail [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] 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.
Tomorrow's picture: An Orbiting Iceberg
Explanation
