Comet Hale–Bopp

C/1995 O1 (Hale–Bopp)
(Great Comet of 1997)
Comet Hale–Bopp, shortly after passing perihelion on April 4, 1997
Discovery[1]
Discovered by
  • Alan Hale
  • Thomas Bopp
Discovery siteUnited States
Discovery dateJuly 23, 1995
Designations
Pronunciation/ˌheɪl ˈbɒp/
Alternative designations
CJ95O010[2]
Orbital characteristics[8]
Epoch15 September 2022 (JD 2459837.5)
Observation arc29.2 years
Number of
observations		66
Aphelion354 AU
Perihelion0.914 AU[3]
Semi-major axis177.43 AU
Eccentricity0.99498
Orbital period(Barycentric 2,399 yr)[4]
2,364–2,520 yr[5]
Inclination89.287°
282.73°
Argument of
periapsis		130.41°
Last perihelion
Next perihelion~4383–4387 AD[7]
TJupiter0.044
Earth MOID0.088 AU
Jupiter MOID0.079 AU
Physical characteristics[8]
Dimensions40–80 km (25–50 mi)
Mean diameter
60 km (37 mi)
Mean radius
30 km (19 mi)
Mass1.9×1014 kg[9]
Synodic rotation period
11.35±0.04 hours[10]
Geometric albedo
0.01–0.07
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		–1.3[11]
–1.8
(1997 apparition)

Comet Hale–Bopp (formally designated C/1995 O1) is a long-period comet that was one of the most widely observed of the 20th century and one of the brightest seen for many decades.[12][13][14]

Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered Comet Hale–Bopp separately on July 23, 1995, before it became visible to the naked eye. It is difficult to predict the maximum brightness of new comets with any degree of certainty, but Hale–Bopp exceeded most predictions when it passed perihelion on April 1, 1997, reaching about magnitude −1.8. Its massive nucleus size made it visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months. This is twice as long as the Great Comet of 1811, the previous record holder. Accordingly, Hale–Bopp was dubbed the Great Comet of 1997.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IAUC_6187 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MPEC_1995-P01 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference jpl1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference barycenter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NK1553 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marsden_1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hale-Bopp4385 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference jpl1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sosa_2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Knight_2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kidger_1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference ICQ2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference ICQ3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference jpl2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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