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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

Comet Hale-Bopp Over New York City

Explanation: Explanation : What's that point of light above the World Trade Center ? It's Comet Hale-Bopp ! Both faster than a speeding bullet and able to “leap” tall buildings in its single orbit , Comet Hale-Bopp is also bright enough to be seen even over the glowing lights of one of the world's premier cities . In the foreground lies the East River, while much of New York City 's Lower Manhattan can be seen between the river and the comet. Comet Hale-Bopp is now moving away from both the Sun and the Earth . It should, however, should remain visible even in northern cities for at least a month. To find Comet Hale-Bopp , look for the brightest object in the northwest sky just after sunset - or wait for its return in 2400 years .

Date April 8, 1997
Credit Comet Hale-Bopp Over New York City
Credit and Copyright: J. Sivo
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.