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Comet Hale-Bopp is Coming

Comet Hale-Bopp is Coming
Comet Hale-Bopp is Coming The bright "pinwheel" of comet Hale-Bopp appears against the background of stars in the constellation Sagittarius in this image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in October 1995. The comet is rotating about once a week, so evaporated debris ejected into space is flung out like water from a lawn sprinkler. This comet appears to be a large one, and some astronomers have dared to hope that it could be the most spectacular comet of the century. It is falling toward the Sun at about 54,000 kilometers (33,500 miles) per hour and by early 1997 it should appear as a bright streak hanging in the sky. H. A. Weaver, P. D. Feldman, and NASA