Comet Hale–Bopp sails across the sky in the vicinity of
Pazin in
Istria,
Croatia. To the lower right of the comet the
Andromeda Galaxy is also faintly visible. The
comet was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months, twice as long as the
Great Comet of 1811. At
perihelion, it shone brighter than any star in the sky except
Sirius, and its two tails stretched 30-40 degrees across the sky. The passage of Hale-Bopp was notable also for inciting a degree of panic about comets not seen for decades. Rumours that the comet was being followed by an
alienspacecraft inspired a mass suicide among followers of the
Heaven's Gatecult.
Comet Hale–Bopp sails across the sky in the vicinity of
Pazin in
Istria,
Croatia. To the lower right of the comet the
Andromeda Galaxy is also faintly visible. The
comet was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months, twice as long as the
Great Comet of 1811. At
perihelion, it shone brighter than any star in the sky except
Sirius, and its two tails stretched 30-40 degrees across the sky. The passage of Hale-Bopp was notable also for inciting a degree of panic about comets not seen for decades. Rumours that the comet was being followed by an
alienspacecraft inspired a mass suicide among followers of the
Heaven's Gatecult.