[summer '85]

Its hard to believe its now 15 years ago since the magnificent comet Hale-Bopp graced our skies. It was a spectacular object that was viewed by hundreds of millions in the northern hemisphere for most of spring 1997 reaching its peak during the Easter of that year. What made this comet particularly special was that it was well away from the sun and so could be seen in a dark sky whilst retaining its brightness. Usually truely bright comets such as comet McNaught come very close to the Sun, so when at its brightest, there is only small window of opportunity after sunset to see the comet before it sets. With Hale-Bopp, it was viewed all night.

Lets hope another brilliant comet will soon come around and maybe can be viewed even in broad daylight.

Here's a short BBC news report from March 1997 of the comet