Hale Bopp: Comet of the century?

Photos: January, 1997

Last Update: 23-2-97

January 3, 1997

Author: Atsuo Kuboniwa
Location: Suigo Park (Japan)
Optics: 500mm f/4 lens and Fujicolor Super G400 ACE film

real color image (JPG 250K) taken few days after the comet was visually recovered. 1 minute exposure at 5:37 (local time).

January 17, 1997

This image was obtained with a CCD camera at the Amtsgymnasiet i Sondebørg of Denmark by the Astronomy Class (age 15-18). Vertical image size: 20' arcseconds.

It was taken on January 17, 1997. The night (16:48.41 UT) was slightly foggy. An aeroplane caused the dashed trail in the lower right corner. Since the comet is nearly in the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, any tail is likely to be highly foreshortened and unimpresive.

January 18, 1997

Gerald Rhemann
Viena (Austria)
Schmidt 225/255/435mm camera and Kodak Gold Pro film

real color JPG.
Magnitude: 2.7

January 19, 1997

Author: Chris Schur
Location: Payson (Arizona)
Optics: Schmidt 5" f/1,65 camera. Kodak Pro 400 ppf film

JPG 187K. 4 minuts exposure.
The electric-blue ion tail, at left, is narrower than the yellowish dust tail. Can you see a narrow anti-tail?

January 16, 1997

January 26, 1997

Author: Nick James
Location: Chemlsford (UK)
Optics: 0,3m newtonian telescope and CCD SX camera

20 exposures 10 seconds each were combined to obtain these filtered false color images.

January 31, 1997

Author: Tim Puckett
Location: Georgia
Optics:30 cm f/6 newtonian telescope and CCD AP-7 camera

False color image. 17 minutes exposure.