Hale-Bopp Comet : Astronomical Event of 1997
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Early 1997 has given millions of people in the northern hemisphere the
superb opportunity to observe one of the brightest comets ever seen.
Since its discovery
in 1995 it continues to amaze astronomers and observers by
the sheer magnitude of its brightness and a vast twin tail. Its dimensions are quite staggering.The nucleus appears to be about 40 km in diameter, and its tail is between 24 and 49 million km long (15 to 30 million miles ). At its closest point to the Sun , its speed was calculated at 44 km/s ( 27 miles per second !). |
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It is estimated that its last visit was over 4200 years ago, so make the
most of your viewing, because unless cryogenics become successful ,
you won't be around on its next visit. It can be seen shortly after sunset in the North West, and at sunrise in the North East. The closest approach to Earth occured on March 22nd 1997. This was 1.315AU . The closest distance to the Sun was 0.923 AU , which occured on April 1st 1997. (1 AU= 150 Million Kilometres) |
| One wonders , since the comet was only discovered in 1995, what would have happened if it had been on a trajectory much closer to Earth. No wonder the NASA is investigating, through John Hopkins University, a long-term observation programme to detect asteroids and possibly comets as early as possible.There is support, and evidence , for the extinction of the dinosaurs , probably by a asteroid, or comet. In the End of a Legacy , Andrew Maas gives a balanced review of the different theories attached to the the question "How did the dinosaurs meet their demise ?" . It includes death by cosmic collision and recurring mass extinctions . |
| The truth is out there and it can be observed right now, if it were not for all that light pollution and cloud cover ! If you are not close to the Arizona desert, then find a nice spot clear from artificial lights, and on a clear night with very little moonlight the vision will astound even the most skeptical. Try to do this before the end of April in the northern hemisphere. |
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NASA's Hale-Bopp Comet Homepage
contains masses of information about this remarkable
comet, including photographs and daily updates.
The
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics gives information
about the discovery,answers many questions related to comets, and gives technical
information and data about Hale-Bopp comet. Details about the
discovery
,by Alan Hale , and Thomas Bopp make fascinating reading, and even
more remarkable considering Thomas Bopp had never seen a comet before ! If you are not an astronomer or not interested in all the technical details , but just want some quick answers , then try Hale-Bopp for Beginners by Dave Headey. There are questions and answers ,children's impressions of Hale-Bopp,and a comet quiz. There is also the superb Hale-Bopp Magazine which has covered the events since the discovery of this wonderful visitor from space. It represents an excellent starting point if you are interested in any aspect of comets. Here are some other great links you can use to find out more about the Hale-Bopp comet , and information about the origin , structure , nature and orbits of comets..... |
Grateful thanks to Alessandro Dimai, Piergiorgio Cusinato, Francesco
D'Arsiè and Gabriele Rosolen
at
Associazione
Astronomica Cortina , Italy , for these superb photographs of the Hale-Bopp
comet.
