Figure 15-25: R I V U X G
Comet Hyakutake Using binoculars, Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake first noticed this comet on the morning of January 30, 1996. Two months later, Comet Hyakutake came within 0.1 AU (15 million km, or 9 million mi) of Earth and became one of the brightest comets of the twentieth century. This image was made in April 1996, when the comet’s tail extended more than 30° across the sky (more than 60 times the diameter of the full moon). The stars appear as short streaks because the camera followed the comet’s motion during the exposure.
Comet Hyakutake Using binoculars, Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake first noticed this comet on the morning of January 30, 1996. Two months later, Comet Hyakutake came within 0.1 AU (15 million km, or 9 million mi) of Earth and became one of the brightest comets of the twentieth century. This image was made in April 1996, when the comet’s tail extended more than 30° across the sky (more than 60 times the diameter of the full moon). The stars appear as short streaks because the camera followed the comet’s motion during the exposure.
(Galaxy Picture Library/Alamy)