Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 15, 1997

A Farewell to Tails

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 15, 1997 is “A Farewell to Tails,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: W. Pacholka). The original explanation runs about 159 words.

From the explanation

“As 1997 fades, so does the Great Comet of 1997: Comet Hale-Bopp . Discovered even before the Great Comet of 1996 , Comet Hale-Bopp became the brightest comet since 1976 .”

— APOD editors, December 15, 1997

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 15, 1997
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: W. Pacholka
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 159 words

All of December 1997 → · 1997 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 15 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 15, 1997 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1997-december-15-a-farewell-to-tails

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.