|
Credit & Copyright: N. Thomas (MPI), H. Rauer
(Obs. Paris) and H. Boehnhardt (U. Munchen),
Danish 1.54m Telescope
(La Silla),
ESO
Explanation:
Comet Hale-Bopp has faded in the past few weeks. For
Hale-Bopp,
promised as the Great Comet
of 1997, this was a bit of a disappointment -- but not
entirely unexpected.
Comet Hale-Bopp
continues to approach the
Sun - making the comet itself brighten,
but now the
Earth
is moving away from it - making the comet appear to dim.
Experts disagree on just how
bright
Hale-Bopp
will become. Optimists hope it will eventually outshine
Comet Hyakutake,
but some pessimists now expect no
better than 3rd magnitude - hardly visible from
well-lit cities.
Comet Hale-Bopp
still appears to be, however, a very large comet, and
is sure to show much activity as it nears the Sun.
The comet
should reach peak brightness in March 1997. This image was taken on August 18th and shows gas shed from the nucleus of
the comet.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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