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Comet Hale-Bopp in the Outer …
Title Comet Hale-Bopp in the Outer Solar System
Explanation Whatever became of Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010326.html http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?Comet+Hale-Bopp ]? The brightest comet [ http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html ] in recent years has continued into the outer Solar System [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/ ] and is now farther from the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] than Saturn [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/saturn.htm ]. To the surprise of many, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ] is still active, continuing to spew gas, ice and dust particles out into space. Pictured above earlier this month, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/hale_bopp.html ] can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001223.html ] with a moderate sized-telescope. The continued activity of Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001227.html ] may be due to the large size of its nucleus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000805.html ] - estimated to be about 50 kilometers across. The unusual dotted appearance [ http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2001/phot-07-01.html#techinfo ] of most stars in the above image [ http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2001/phot-07-01.html ] is due to the 14 discrete exposures that were centered on the comet and not the stars.
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Par …
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Parola Pass
Explanation Comet Hale-Bopp became much brighter than any surrounding stars. It was seen even over bright city lights [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970408.html ]. Out away from city lights, however, it put on quite a spectacular show. Here Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed above Val Parola Pass in the Dolomite mountains [ http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/6876/ ] surrounding Cortina d'Ampezzo [ http://www.sunrise.it/cortina/ ], Italy [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it.html ]. Comet Hale-Bopp's blue ion tail was created when fast moving particles from the solar wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.html ] struck expelled ions from the comet's nucleus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000805.html ]. The white dust tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001227.html ] is composed of larger particles of dust and ice expelled by the nucleus that orbit behind the comet [ http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html ]. Observations showed that Comet Hale-Bopp's nucleus spins about once every 12 hours.
Announcing Comet Hale-Bopp
Title Announcing Comet Hale-Bopp
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.arizona.edu/billa/tnp/comets.html ] will become, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html ], named for its discoverers [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp/discoverers.html ], was spotted farther from the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950813.html ] 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.gov/~cjhamil/SolarSystem/comet.html ] bright enough to see without a telescope occurs only about once a decade. The large coma [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#coma ] and long tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#comet ] 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
Comet Hale-Bopp Update
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Update
Explanation Will comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.halebopp.com/ ] become the brightest comet of the Century in early 1997? Since its discovery in July [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950820.html ] this year, Hale-Bopp [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html ] has caused much speculation. Even though it is still beyond the orbit of Jupiter it is astonishingly bright and expected to get much brighter as it plunges inward, toward the Sun. In this latest Hubble Space Telescope image [ http://www.stsci.edu/pubinfo/PR/95/41.html ] a bright clump of material (above center) has apparently been ejected by evaporation and the rotation of the icy nucleus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#comet ] (below center). Astronomers are using this and other observations to try to figure out if Hale-Bopp is really a giant comet or a smaller object which will fizzle out sooner than expected as it approaches the Sun.
Comet Hale-Bopp Fades
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Fades
Explanation Comet Hale-Bopp has faded in the past few weeks. For Hale-Bopp [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ], promised as the Great Comet of 1997, this was a bit of a disappointment -- but not entirely unexpected. Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960729.html ] continues to approach the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960916.html ] - making the comet itself brighten, but now the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960819.html ] is moving away from it - making the comet appear to dim. Experts disagree on just how bright Hale-Bopp [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html ] will become. Optimists hope it will eventually outshine Comet Hyakutake [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/hyakutake.html ], but some pessimists now expect no better than 3rd magnitude - hardly visible from well-lit cities [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960617.html ]. Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.eso.org/comet-hale-bopp/ ] still appears to be, however, a very large comet, and is sure to show much activity as it nears the Sun. The comet should reach peak brightness in March 1997. [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/comets/ephemjpl3.html ] This image [ http://www.eso.org/comet-hale-bopp/comet-hale-bopp-summary-sep13-96-rw.html ] was taken on August 18th and shows gas shed from the nucleus of the comet.
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Passes M14 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961112.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Seven Je …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Seven Jets from Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961113.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961219.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: More Jet …
Title Tomorrow's picture: More Jets from Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970213.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Develops a Tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970212.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Returns [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970206.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp and the Dumbbell Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970220.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp is "That" Bright [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970227.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Enters the Evening Sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970307.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp's DevelopingTails [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970314.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Parola Pass [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970317.html ]
Tomorrow's picture: Comet Ha …
Title Tomorrow's picture: Comet Hale-Bopp Over New York City [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970408.html ]
Comet Hale-Bopp Outbound
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Outbound
Explanation Hale-Bopp [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/hale_bopp_info.html ], the Comet of the Century [ http://www.halebopp.com/facts.htm ], is leaving the inner Solar System. Outbound at about 12 miles per second it is presently nearing the main asteroid [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970908.html ] belt between Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970627.html ] and Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/jupiter.html ]. This false-color image [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/bluevue.htm ] represents a recent view from low Earth orbit [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970902.html ] showing the comet surrounded by its shrinking coma [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#coma ] against a background of stars. It was constructed from [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/mission.html ] a fraction of the data taken aboard the Space Shuttle [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/reference/shutref/orbiter/ ] Discovery in August by a small innovative telescopic camera known as the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/swuis/ ] or SWUIS. SWUIS (sounds like "swiss") images will be particularly interesting to astronomers who wish to continue to follow the Great Comet's [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/ ] interaction with the Solar Wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970217.html ]. The once bright Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970825.html ] has faded below 4th magnitude [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/MAG.HTML ] but is still visible [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/news.html ] to Earthbound observers south of 35 degrees north latitude [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/news85.html ].
A Fisheye View of Comet Hale …
Title A Fisheye View of Comet Hale-Bopp
Explanation Thousands of stars, several constellations, a planet and a comet all graced the western horizon over Ujue, Spain [ http://www.okspain.org/ ] just after sunset on April 4th, 1997. Because the picture was taken with a fisheye lens, much of the whole night sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/sky.html ] is visible. Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970415.html ], with both tails blazing, appears right of center. The brightest [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html ] star is Sirius [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960902.html ] near the edge, well to the left of the constellation Orion [ http://astro.gmu.edu/constellation/ORI.html ]. The red star above the belt of Orion [ http://www.adler.uchicago.edu/ISE/ORION4.HTM ] is Betelgeuse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970216.html ], while the red star near the center is Aldebaran [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970728.html ], just to the left of the bright Pleaides [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960903.html ] star cluster. Many other interesting astronomical objects are visible, including zodiacal light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970826.html ], which is the diffuse triangular glow in the center. Even the planet Mercury [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html ] appears just over the horizon.
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Indian …
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Over Indian Cove
Explanation Comet Hale-Bopp, the Great Comet of 1997 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?great+comet+1997 ], was quite a sight. No comets [ http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html ] of comparable brightness have graced the skies of Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ] since then. During this next month, however, even besides the fleeting Comet Bradfield [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040419.html ], "two" comets have a slight chance of rivaling Hale-Bopp [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ] and a good chance of putting on a memorable [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/comet.html ] sky show. Unfortunately, most of the show will be confined to sky gazers in Earth's southern hemisphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021222.html ]. Both comets are already visible [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/RecentObs.html#02T7 ] to the unaided eye from there. The first, Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2002t7.html ], should be at its best before dawn during the first weeks of May from the south. The second, Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/2001q4.html ], should be visible in early May from all over the Earth. Both comets [ http://www.space.com/spacewatch/comet_double_040319.html ] appear to be approaching [ http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1037_1.asp ] the inner Solar System [ http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html ] for the first time and so it is very hard to predict [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/space/kohoutek.html ] how bright each will become. In the above photograph [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/pach17.html ] taken 1997 April 6, Comet Hale-Bopp was imaged from the Indian Cove Campground in the Joshua Tree National Forest [ http://www.nps.gov/jotr/ ] in California [ http://www.state.ca.us/ ], USA [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]. A flashlight [ http://www.geocities.com/~stuarts1031/flashlight.html ] was used to momentarily illuminate foreground rocks during this six minute exposure.
Comet Hale-Bopp and the Nort …
Title Comet Hale-Bopp and the North America Nebula
Explanation Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ]'s 1997 encounter with the inner Solar System [ http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html ] allowed many breath-taking pictures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?hale+bopp ]. Above [ http://www.skylook.net/album/comet/habo/hab3i.htm ], Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed crossing the constellation of Cygnus, sporting spectacular yellow dust and blue ion tails [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/tail.html ]. Visible on the right in red is the North America Nebula [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/n7000.html ], a bright emission nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/emission_nebulae.html ] observable from a dark location with binoculars. The North America Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000501.html ] is about 1500 light-years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] away, much farther than the comet, which was only about 8 light minutes away. Several bright blue stars from the open cluster [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/open.html ] M39 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040331.html ] are visible just above the comet's blue ion tail [ http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/events/halebopp/disconnect/ ].
The Dust and Ion Tails of Co …
Title The Dust and Ion Tails of Comet Hale-Bopp
Explanation In 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_ts?Bopp ]'s "intrinsic" brightness exceeded any comet since 1811 [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/1811f1.html ]. Since it peaked on the other side of the Earth's orbit, however, the comet "appeared" only brighter than any comet in two decades [ http://cometography.com/lcomets/1975v1.html ]. Visible above are the two tails [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960502.html ] shed by Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/comet/ ]. The blue ion tail [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/events/halebopp/disconnect/ ] is composed of ionized [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/ionization.html ] gas molecules, of which carbon monoxide [ http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html ] particularly glows blue when reacquiring electrons [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/welect.html ]. This tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/comet.html ] is created by the particles from the fast solar wind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.html ] interacting with gas from the comet's head. The blue ion tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970514.html ] points directly away from the Sun [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/sol.html ]. The light colored dust tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970403.html ] is created by bits of grit that have come off the comet's nucleus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000805.html ] and are being pushed away by the pressure of light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000526.html ] from the Sun. This tail points "nearly" away from the Sun. The above photograph [ http://www.celestialimage.com/page101.html ] was taken in March 1997.
Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Par …
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Parola Pass
Explanation Comet Hale-Bopp became much brighter than any surrounding stars. It was seen even over bright city lights. Out away from city lights, however, it put on quite a spectacular show. Here Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed above Val Parola Pass in the Dolomite mountains surrounding Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Comet Hale-Bopp's blue ion tail was created when fast moving particles from the solar wind struck expelled ions from the comet's nucleus. The white dust tail is composed of larger particles of dust and ice expelled by the nucleus that orbit behind the comet. Observations showed that Comet Hale-Bopp's nucleus spins about once every 12 hours.
Comet Hale-Bopp Over the Sup …
Title Comet Hale-Bopp Over the Superstition Mountains
Explanation Four years ago, Comet Hale-Bopp [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/comet/ ] was discovered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950820.html ] out near Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/jupiter.html ] falling toward the inner Solar System [ http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/Space.Science/Our.Solar.System/.index.html ]. Two years ago, it provided spectacular pictures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/cossc/apod_search?Hale-Bopp ] as it neared its closest approach to the Sun [ http://shutter.vet.ohio-state.edu/astronomy/faq/index.htm ]. Still today, spectacular pictures [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970723.html ] of the brightest comet of the 1990s are surfacing. Above, Comet Hale-Bopp was photographed in 1997 behind the Superstition Mountains [ http://www.goodnet.com/~rfidler/Page/Superstitions.htm ] in Arizona [ http://www.state.az.us/ ]. Clearly visible are the comets white dust tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960326.html ] that shines by reflected sunlight, and the blue ion tail [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970514.html ] that shines by glowing gas. Currently, there are several comets visible [ http://comets.amsmeteors.org/comets/current_comets.html ] from the proper location with a small telescope. A comet visible to the unaided eye [ http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/bright_comet.html ] appears about once every five years.
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