Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 19, 1996 is “Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound,” an image. It is credited to Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound Credit: H. Weaver (ARC), NASA. The original explanation runs about 180 words.

Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound
Credit: Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound Credit: H. Weaver (ARC), NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Explanation : Headed toward the inner Solar System, the much anticipated Comet Hale-Bopp has promised to put on a big show next spring. The comet’s apparent brightness is currently approaching 4th magnitude and its inbound journey has been closely followed by many observers.”

— APOD editors, December 19, 1996

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 19, 1996
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound Credit: H. Weaver (ARC), NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 180 words

All of December 1996 → · 1996 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Comets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 19 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.