... Hale Bopp: The Great Comet of 1997 . ... Credit: Jerry Lodriguss ( Catching the Light ) Explanation: Ten short years ago, Comet Hale-Bopp rounded the Sun and offered a dazzling spectacle in planet Earth's night. This stunning view , recorded shortly after the comet's perihelion passage on April 1, 1997, features the memorable tails of Hale-Bopp -- a whitish dust tail and blue ion tail. ... In all, Hale-Bopp was reported as visible to the naked eye from roughly late May 1996 through September 1997. ...