NASA

Hubble Sees Material Ejected from Comet Hale-Bopp
October 10, 1995
baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)

• The Hubble observations will be used to determine if Hale-Bopp is really a giant comet or rather a more moderate-sized object whose current activity is driven by outgassing from a very volatile ice which will "burn out" over the next year.

Harvard's IAU

PRESS INFORMATION SHEET: Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp), by CfA
16 February, 1996

• However, numerous comets have been observed completely to fall apart on approach to perihelion, as many comets are thought to have nuclei that are very loosely held together. It is too soon to tell if comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) will warrant widespread public attention.

sci.astro Usenet

Article: <01bc27f6$8f9cfe80$95b4e0c2@default>
From: "Carlos Alvarez Fernandez" <carlosalv@jet.es>
Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur
Subject: Has Hale-Boop broken?
Date: 3 Mar 1997 17:11:03 GMT
Organization: Unisource Espana NEWS SERVER

A member of Gran Canaria Astronomical Association reports on march 2, the comet nucleus has broken in two bodies. Can anybody tell something about it?

Article: <01bc27f7$cef1f4e0$4fec0b26@default>
From: "Susan Carroll" <scarroll2@pipeline.com>
Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur
Subject: Comet Hale-Bopp - Two nuclei
Date: 3 Mar 1997 17:23:42 GMT
Organization: MindSpring Enterprises

I observed H-B early Sunday morning, 3/2/97 and at 31x, with an actual FOV of 2.2 deg, in my 7" f/5.6 dob saw two distinct nuclei. I observed the comet until the sun rose to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me - and there were definitely two nuclei.

Does this agree with anyone else's observations?

Article: <MPG.d94670ace94e7f0989680@news.deltanet.com>
From: sipe@sipe.com (Russell Sipe)
Newsgroups: alt.sci.astro.hale.bopp,sci.astro,sci.astro.amateur
Subject: Has HB Nucleus Split Into Six Fragments?
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 07:58:43 -0800
Organization: Sipe Electronic Publishing

For several weeks now I have read reports of visual observations of Comet Hale-Bopp appearing to have a split nucleus. I have also read explantions suggesting there is no photographic evidence of the split and speculation that the visual observations of a supposed split or pseudo-nucleus was actually part of the jet plume activity. However www.halebopp.com has received a series of photos that would seem to support not only a split nucleus but a six-way split.

The photos and explanations can be found from a link at
http://www.halebopp.com/z06mag.htm

Warning: one possible explanation for these photos is that the apparent framents could have been created by the same CCD processing anomaly that created the Mysterious Eyes effect found in images from last July also found at www.halebopp.com

We have a discussion topic at www.halebopp.com to comment on the above images.

Russell Sipe
www.halebopp.com

Article: <ephillip.293.333A706B@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu>
From: ephillip@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu (Earl W. Phillips, Jr.)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: hale-bopp
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 13:04:43 GMT
Organization: The Ohio State University

Has anyone else noticed that the nucleus of Hale-Bopp seems to be split?