The image of Comet Hale-Bopp blazing across the night sky of 1997 has delighted casual stargazers and astronomers alike. It was first spotted in July 1995 by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, who ...

Comets — those small, icy objects orbiting the sun — act like floating time capsules, offering a window into the early days of our solar system's formation and holding clues about the origins ...

The small photos of Comet Hyakutake and Comet Hale-Bopp in the initial color astrophoto montage do not do them justice. Here they have been reprocessed for a larger display. The photo of Comet ...

And high above, comet Hale-Bopp hung suspended like a feathery fishing ... with mirrors on top that can be oriented to follow the sun's path across the sky. Solar studies are one of astronomy's ...