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Comet
Comet Hale-Bopp
Comet Hale-Bopp is a comet. It is about 60 km across – about as wide as Switzerland. In 1996/97 Hale-Bopp was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months – the “Great Comet” of the 1990s.
Fact file
- Type
- Comet
- Diameter of the nucleus
- 60 km
- Mean distance from the Sun
- 27,825,203,950 km
- Orbital period
- 2,537 years
- Shape of orbit (eccentricity)
- 0.995 – a very elongated ellipse
- Closest point to the Sun
- passed on 1 April 1997
Interesting facts about Comet Hale-Bopp
- In 1996/97 Hale-Bopp was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months – the “Great Comet” of the 1990s.
- It was discovered independently on the same evening in 1995 by two Americans: Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.
- At about 60 km, its nucleus is huge. It will not return until around the year 4380.
Frequently asked questions about Comet Hale-Bopp
How long does Comet Hale-Bopp take to orbit the Sun?
Comet Hale-Bopp orbits the Sun once in about 2,537 years.
Origin
A comet from the distant Oort Cloud. A close encounter with Jupiter shortened its orbital period from more than 4,000 to about 2,500 years.
Coma and tail
Hale-Bopp had a clearly separate blue gas tail and white dust tail, and even a third tail made of sodium.
Exploration
No probe – but countless telescopes and millions of people watched it.
Connection with Earth
At its farthest point from the Sun, Hale-Bopp is about 370 times as far from the Sun as Earth is.
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