This image may not be used on retail merchandise in the Comet Hale-Bopp. Optical image of comet Hale- Bopp. Hale-Bopp was one of the brightest

---

This image may not be used on retail merchandise in the Comet Hale-Bopp. Optical image of comet Hale- Bopp. Hale-Bopp was one of the brightest comets of the 20th century. Its gas or \ion\" tail (blue) consists of ionized glowing gas blown away from the comet head by the solar wind. The dust tail (white) consists of grains of dust pushed away from the comet head by the radiation of sunlight. Comets have a nucleus of ice and dust. As they approach the Sun their surfaces evaporate, forming tails millions of kilometres long. Photographed on 6 April 1997 in Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA."

---

Size: 3728px × 2558px
Photo credit: © WALTER PACHOLKA, ASTROPICS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, atmosphere, circle, circular, corona, eclipse, eclipsing, field, illustration, magnetic, moon, outer, sky, solar, space, star, stellar, sun, system, total, totality, wind