Hale Bopp

Photographs: August, 1997

August 30, 1997 18:45 UT

Observer: David Jones (David.Jones@bigpond.com)
Location:Jondaryn, Queensland, Australia
Optics:8" f/1.5 Schmidt Camera.
Exposure: 5 minutes on Hypered Kodak PJM640.
Hale-Bopp's dust tail passes over M93. Photographing conditions difficult due to gusting winds and thin cloud. Streaks on film are scratches. Copyright©1997 David Jones

Hubble STIS Observations of Comet Hale-Bopp. (27 August 1997)

August 15.8, 1997

Observer: Gordon Garradd
Location:Loomberah NSW Australia
Optics:25cm Newtonian.
Exposure: 10 minutes on hypered Kodak Gold III film.

This photo shows the extensive dust tail curving back to the North (left) of the coma in this 3 x 2 deg field. The small nebula S307 is seen just south of the coma.

August 9, 1997

August 12, 1997

Observer: MS Robinson
Location:Discovery shuttle in orbit
Optics:7-inch Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System (SWUIS).

Astronauts View Comet Hale-Bopp

NASA and the Southwest Research Institute, along with scientific collaborators from JPL, APL, and the University of Maryland, developed an innovative new wide-field ultraviolet (UV) imager to observe comet Hale-Bopp from the Space Shuttle this August. The instrument is called the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging System, or SWUIS (pronounced like "swiss"). The primary objective of the SWUIS Hale-Bopp Imaging experiment is to obtain image sequences of Hale-Bopp to study its coma and tail morphology and response to solar wind conditions during the scientifically-interesting, classical turn-off phase as the comet moves outbound beyond 2 AU. Observations were done through the only window on the spacecraft that does not have ultraviolet filtering. To assist the observations, the shuttle's robotic arm was positioned to shade the window from the Sun.

9 Aug 1997 (acq2-b.gif): SWUIS Hale-Bopp comet acquisition image taken from Discovery. Computer enhanced versions of a portion of the visible+UV acquisition sequence. Integration time of 83.3s.
12 Aug 1997 (acq4-b.gif): A false-color 40s integration of comet Hale-Bopp obtained during the aquisition for Discovery's 3rd orbit of SWUIS observations.

Please note that these are not final data products and are built from a very small fraction of 250,000 useful data frames collected so far. SWUIS Hale-Bopp STS-85 Imaging Mission

August 10, 1997 5:54 AEST

Observer: Mark Gransden
Location:Jindera, New South Wales, Australia
Optics:135mm lens, f/2.8.
Exposure: 20 seconds (with Barndoor Tracker) and ASA 1600 film.

August 4, 1997 5:23 AEST

Observer: Mark Gransden
Location:Jindera, New South Wales, Australia
Optics:50mm lens, f/1.8.
Exposure: 30 seconds and ASA 400 film.

The comet is continuing to move south, almost parallel to the horizon. It is still naked eye but only when the sky is dark and clear.

August 2, 1997 19:00 UT

Observer: David Jones (David.Jones@bigpond.com)
Location:Lake Maroon, Queensland, Australia
Optics:8" f/1.5 Schmidt Camera.
Exposure: 2 minutes, Kodak PJM640.
Even in this short exposure, Hale-Bopp's sun spike has been recorded. Copyright©1997 David Jones