One of the most talked-about comets is the Hale Bopp Comet, first appearing in 1995.The constant brightness of the comet looked bewitching against the blue milieu that captured the hearts of millions. It remained visible to the naked eyes for more than 18 months, which is the longest record to date.The comet’s stark visibility to the naked eye is attributed to its flattering size with a 37.28 mi (60 km) wide nucleus. Its long period orbit, which at present is 2533 years, makes it a long-staying visitor in close proximity to the planets. Around the year 4385, it will return to the inner Solar System.Comet Hale Bopp was the most frequently photographed celestial body in 1997. From 1995, the comet was visible to the naked eye up to the end of 1997, making it the longest visiting comet to date. Its huge nucleus makes it an immensely bright comet. It was the farthest comet discovered at that time by the amateurs.The Hubble Space Telescope images reveal numerous details of several bright comets, including the Hale Bopp. It revealed that the comet’s diameter is about 24.85 mi (40 km) with a rotation rate of 11.4 hours. Many images of the Hale Bopp comet are available that tell us a lot about its brilliant spark. The orbital period of Comet Encke is the shortest of any known comet in our solar system, of three years and three months.Hale Bopp: DiscoveryComet Hale Bopp was first spotted on July 23, 1995, by two amateur astronomers who saw it independently. These astronomers were Thomas Bopp and Alan Hale from the United States.It was seen between the planets Jupiter and Saturn and was about 7.2 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun. The astronomers spotted it as a large comet because of its close proximity to the Earth. In the inner solar system, this comet’s orbit was seen at perihelion on April 1, 1997. Such a great comet with magnificent sparkle was visible to people residing throughout the world, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. Some even say that it appeared to be so bright that it was way bigger than Comet Halley that was discovered before this. Its vivid luminescence was compared to Comet West as well, which was discovered in the year 1976.Hale Bopp: Comet Occurrence DetailsAccording to NASA, this new comet, which was bigger and brighter than the Comet Hale, was visible at the same distance with its dual blue and white tails. The distinct dust tail of this naked eye object was so overwhelming that the people of well-lit cities, including Chicago, could see it with immense clarity.Several photographs of this comet have been taken, some of which showcased the spiky appearance of the comet due to the light imparted by the background stars. As a result, many people referred to it as a Saturn-like object in 1996. Rumors were also spread regarding this bright comet and some of which claimed that it was a massive spacecraft that was orbiting the Earth and was three times bigger than our planet. It was visible during the total solar eclipse that took place in the daytime hours in China, Mongolia, and Siberia on March nine, 1997. The visibility of this bright comet from the Earth was recorded for more than eighteen months until 1997.Although the sheer brilliance of this comet mesmerized everyone, a cult of 40 members committed mass suicide in San Diego who believed that this comet signified the ‘Heaven’s Gate.’ They thought that it represented the end of their life on Earth and would soon enter space. The cult leaders Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles spread the rumor that they were alien souls trapped in vessels and would soon transform into their original selves once they left their bodies in this world.Hale Bopp: Composition And TemperatureThe presence of hydrogen cyanide in the Comet Hale Bopp was detected in April 1996. This evidence was gathered from the images obtained from the James Clerk Maxwell Submillimeter Telescope during the daytime.Comets are primarily balls of ice and dust and travel at a soaring speed in space, with freezing temperatures of 53.1 K (-220 ℃ (-364 ℉)). They typically enter the gravitational sphere of the planets, wherein they hurl towards the planet with excessive speed. However, the comets keep drifting in space in a frozen form. The perihelion passage of the Comet Hale Bopp around the Sun was stable for quite a long time, along with the orbit distance that was also far enough to keep it high up in the sky. This distance made sure that it was far away from the twilight glares of the Sun. It was visible every night with its exceptional glow cherished by all of the observers in the north. The energy released by a Hale-Bopp-sized collision would cause the oceans to boil and rock to vaporize. The surface of the Earth would be sterilized.Hale Bopp: FeaturesHale Bopp displays a bright blue tail of ions with streaks of white dust. To the naked eye, it is clearly visible due to its luminescence.These magnificent twin tails of the comet are readily visible in the sky more than any other comet. It is essentially made of ion gases, ice, and dust. The speed at which it travels is about 100,000 mph (almost 156,000 kph). At present, it is located at a great distance from the Sun, almost near to Pluto in the Constellation of Octans.
One of the most talked-about comets is the Hale Bopp Comet, first appearing in 1995.
