Comet Hale Bopp Over Val Parola Pass . ... AAC Explanation: Comet Hale-Bopp , the Great Comet of 1997, became much brighter than any surrounding stars. It was seen even over bright city lights . ... Comet Hale-Bopp 's blue ion tail , consisting of ions from the comet's nucleus , is pushed out by the solar wind . The white dust tail is composed of larger particles of dust from the nucleus driven by the pressure of sunlight, that orbit behind the comet . ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...