APOD
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.
Hale-Bopp Above the Cinqui Torri Mountains
Explanation: Hale-Bopp may be the most photographed comet in history. Above , our photogenic giant flying snowball appeared last month as a backdrop to the “Cinque Torri” Mountains near Contina d'Ampezzo , Italy. Although the comet is still fairly bright , it is fading as it recedes from the Sun , and is now more easily visible from Earth's southern hemisphere . Having shed a few meters of ice and rock from its surface, Comet Hale-Bopp will coast to the outer Solar System , and return again in another 2400 years.
| Date | June 10, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit and Copyright: G. Menardi (Col Druscie Obs., ACC) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |