Hale-Bopp Comet
CategoryComet
SystemSolar System
Diameter60 km
Orbital Period2533 years
About Hale-Bopp Comet
The Great Comet of 1997, visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months. Discovered independently by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp in 1995. Its unusually large nucleus, estimated at 40 to 80 km, produced spectacular dust and ion tails. Visible even from light-polluted cities. Will not return for about 2,500 years.
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