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Credit:
Joseph M. Sivo
(All Rights Reserved)
Explanation:
Undaunted by the artificial glow from one of the most famous
urban skylines on Earth,
comet Hale-Bopp
shines
above the city of New York, USA.
Photographed
on March 23rd, this view from New Jersey shows
the Hudson River in the foreground, the Empire State
Building at the right, the George Washington Bridge at the left, and
the comet with a visible tail above. The comet lies
at a distance of about 120 million miles from New York.
As bright as this comet has turned out to be, it might have been even
brighter.
On May 6,
Hale-Bopp's orbit will take it within
about 10 million miles of the point in the
Earth's orbit which was occupied by planet Earth itself
in early January.
If the comet had also reached this point in January,
it would have come almost as close to
Earth as comet Hyakutake did last year.
At that distance,
Hale-Bopp might have been 100 times brighter than it is now,
reaching -5th or -6th
magnitude!
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day