Comet Hale-Bopp
By Robbie Rhodes
From http://www.skypub.com/comets/hb13.html , the Comets Page at the web site of Sky & Telescope magazine --
Ever since amateurs Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered their namesake on July 22, 1995, the astronomical community has been abuzz with glowing predictions of a potentially great comet heading our way. ...
Brian G. Marsden (Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams) says, "I still think that the best comparison for Comet Hale-Bopp is that of the Great Comet of 1811, hitherto the one that was visible to the naked eye for the longest time."
From http://www.griffithobs.org/Skyinfo.html , web site of Griffith
Observatory, Los Angeles; lots of good links --
From about 6 March to 20 March in the northern latitudes the comet will be visible in the northeast sky starting at about two and one-half hours before sunrise, at 10 to 20 degrees above the horizon. Your clenched fist at arm's length spans about 10 degrees, and can help you estimate angles. It's about as bright as the brightest stars, with a hazy head and a dimmer, filmy tail extending to the upper left.
It's also just becoming visible in the evening sky. Look low in the northwest just as the last glow of twilight is fading out. The tail will extend to the upper right. |
(Message sent Tue 11 Mar 1997, 07:19:34 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.) |
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