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 of life ...

Alan Hale is credited with helping discover what is now known as the “Hale-Bopp” comet. Hale first spotted the comet that would come to bear his name from his home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Since ...

Pristine means pure and unchanged. Earth still boasts pristine forests, deserts and much untouched seafloor. When astronomers use the word in regard to comets they're talking about an object that's ...

Fifteen years ago on this day, the comet Hale-Bopp made its closest approach to Earth, at a distance of 1.315 AU (1 AU = 93 million miles). The comet had been discovered independently by two amateur ...

CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. July 23, 2005 marks the ten-year anniversary of the discovery of Comet Hale-Bopp, and co-discoverer Dr. Alan Hale is announcing plans for an event to celebrate the occasion.

"Hale-Bopp has been a favorite of comet studies in part because it was one of the brightest comets seen." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how ...