Comet Hale-Bopp

mindpixel writes "When Comet Hale-Bopp passed through the inner solar system in early 1997, it was admired in the sky by a substantial fraction of the world's population. Now ESO (European Southern Observatory) has imaged the comet at 2 billion kilometers." Hale-Bopp has a 4000-year period, so savor it while you can. :)

Hale-Bopp has a 4000-year period

[billybob2001]

Hale-Bopp has a 4000-year period, so savor it while you can. :)

That's gotta mean mighty bad PMS!

Seriously, why do we need to see it again at such reduced quality when we saw it only 4 years ago?

Aggghhh!!! Hanson

[sjbe]

Why does the name of this comet always bring a certain Hanson song to mind?

Make it stop... please...

Re:2 Million not 2 Billion

[The Terminator]

Hi
you're wrong,

it's 2 American billion what resembles to 2000 Millions (i.e. Milliards) in the rest of the world.

The Terminator

4000 Year Period... Sigh...

[Bonker]

When Haley's comet came around, I was about 13. I don't remember clearly seeing it. I remember seeing a group of stars, my dad pointing at them and saying "See, son! Haley's comet is right in that group there."

Hale-Bopp, despite it's humorous name, was so unmistakanely an anomoly in the night sky, that it was pretty hard to miss. I remember staring at it with my new wife at the time and wondering just how far away it was. My 3 year old nephew just missed it, which is a damn shame, because I'm certain that even he could have picked it out from amoung the other glittering diamonds.

4000 years until humanity gets that opportunity again. *Sigh...*

Re:That explains...

[rjamestaylor]

If you don't understand my above post, read this [sacbee.com]. (I bet someone thinks it's off-topic)

2 Million not 2 Billion

[KenSeymour]

Someone at ESO should fix the headline to match the copy.

2 Billion km would by something like 20 times the length of our galaxy.

Re:That explains...

[rjamestaylor]

D*mn KDE1 clipboard...this [slate.com] was the intended link...

Didn't see any

[ackthpt]

Bumper stickers, like "Left My Corporeal Form in Rancho Santa Fe", "No Child On Board", "Eunuchs Don't Do It" or "See You At Heaven's Gate"

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Re:2 Million not 2 Billion

[Anonymous Coward]

That's kind of strange considering that the galaxy is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 km across.

Re:That explains...

[Tower]

Can't seem to view that link...
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There will be others

[JetJaguar]

Well, actually you can expect a pretty bright comet to pass through the inner solar system every ten years or so. Unfortunately, most of the time, the Earth just isn't really in the best position to see it. Usually this means having to get up a couple of hours before sunrise, or catch a few glimpses after sunset, and then the view is sub-optimal. Hale-Bopp (and Hyakutake as well) turned out to be nice exceptions.

But you can rest easy, there will be others, maybe not quite as spectacular as Hale-Bopp, but they are out there. In fact, many people make all kinds of comparisons between H-B and Comet West in the early 70's.

Re:Aggghhh!!! Hanson

[bitty]

YOU BASTARD! I just got the damn thing out of my head, and you have to go and bring it up again...