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Hale-Bopp THEN and NOW - 2


Article: <5dq6vk$p5h@dfw-ixnews7.ix.netcom.com>
From: saquo@ix.netcom.com(Nancy )
Subject: Hale-Bopp THEN and NOW - 2
Date: 11 Feb 1997 16:32:52 GMT

This was what was said back THEN, and NOW ... ?

.......

Comet Observations Home Page, Charles S. Morris /
csm@encke.jpl.nasa.gov
C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)
20 Aug 1995

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)

This comet continues to be extremely active. Note the changing magnitude and DC in the obse4rvations by undersigned, which indicate continuing outburst activity. ...

Terry Lovejoy (Australia) reports that on August 17.50 the comet was magnitude 9.9 with a ~3' coma dia =4 using a 25 cm L (52x)

Terry Lovejoy (Australia) reports that on August 18.59 the comet was magnitude 8.0 with a 15' coma using 15x80 binoculars.

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Comet Hale-Bopp is Coming! by Edwin L. Aguirre, adapted from Sky & Telescope, November 1995

Throughout August Hale-Bopp's overall brightness deviated little from the previous month's estimates - 10 or 11. However, its nuclear region underwent fluctuations almost every night. Sky & Telescope's Stephen O'Meara, observing on August 11th with Lick Observatory's 36-inch refractor at 588x and 1,176x, noted the comet displayed a "very sharp pseudonucleus (approximately magnitude 15) surrounded by a 40-arcsecond-long feature flowing due north of the pseudonucleus."

Veteran comet watchers Charles Morris and John Bortle, observing at about 70x with a 10-inch reflector at Lockwood Valley, California, and with a 16-inch reflector from Stormville, New York, respectively, also saw bewitching nuclear changes. They saw the comet's pseudonucleus evolve from a small, weak condensation coma on August 19th to a perfectly stellar, 12th magnitude point the following night. "The comet seems to be undergoing continuous outbursts one after another, and there is no sigh that this activity is letting up," according to Morris.