Open AccessScientists, stargazers welcome Hale‐Bopp
Author(s) -
Carlowicz Michael
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/97eo00092
Subject(s) - comet , astronomy , sky , jupiter (rocket family) , southern hemisphere , astrobiology , northern hemisphere , physics , comet dust , geology , solar system , spacecraft , interplanetary dust cloud
Visible to the naked eye in the northern hemisphere—and soon in the southern hemisphere as well—Comet Hale‐Bopp has been dubbed the “comet of the century” by many folks who watch the night skies. The farthest comet ever discovered by amateurs, Hale‐Bopp was 1000 times brighter than the legendary Halley's Comet was at the same point beyond the orbit of Jupiter. As Hale‐Bopp made its closest approach to Earth on March 22 and to the Sun on April 1, it generated a tail that stretched 10° across the sky in urban areas and as much as 30° at the darkest sites. The comet's nucleus is estimated to be about 30–40 km across, compared to the 5 km or smaller nuclei of most other comets.