Lol imagine waking up in the morning and opening the window and you see a big asteroid just hanging in the sky
Dunno how old you were in '97, if born at all even, but early that year was a fascinating time to be a human being on Earth:
Hale–Bopp became visible to the
naked eye in May 1996, and although its rate of brightening slowed considerably during the latter half of that year,
[16] scientists were still cautiously optimistic that it would become very bright. It was too closely aligned with the Sun to be observable during December 1996, but when it reappeared in January 1997 it was already bright enough to be seen by anyone who looked for it, even from large cities with
light-polluted skies.
[17]
The
Internet was a growing phenomenon at the time, and numerous websites that tracked the comet's progress and provided daily images from around the world became extremely popular. The Internet played a large role in encouraging the unprecedented public interest in comet Hale–Bopp.
[18]
As the comet approached the Sun, it continued to brighten, shining at 2nd magnitude in February, and showing a growing pair of
tails, the blue gas tail pointing straight away from the Sun and the yellowish dust tail curving away along its orbit. On March 9, a
solar eclipse in
China,
Mongolia and eastern
Siberia allowed observers there to see the comet in the daytime.
[19] Hale–Bopp had its closest approach to Earth on March 22, 1997, at a distance of 1.315
AU.
[20]
As it passed perihelion on April 1, 1997, the comet developed into a spectacular sight. It shone brighter than any star in the sky except
Sirius, and its dust tail stretched 40–45
degrees across the sky.
[21][22] The comet was visible well before the sky got fully dark each night, and while many great comets are very close to the Sun as they pass perihelion, comet Hale–Bopp was visible all night to
northern hemisphere observers.
[23]
