Hale Bopp Orbit
Hubble Images of Comet Hale-Bopp Aug 02, 1998 This is a series of Hubble Space Telescope observations of the region around the nucleus of Hale-Bopp. It takes about 2,534 years for Hale-Bopp to orbit the sun once. Hale-Bopp last reached perihelion (closest approach to the sun) on Apr. How Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) Got Its Name. Comets are usually named for their discoverer(s) or for the name of the observatory/telescope used in the discovery. Comet Hale-Bopp Orbit and Ephemeris Information 77K This chart is a ray-traced image of the orbit planes of Earth and Comet Hale-Bopp and their positions from March to May 1997. Courtesy of Eric Frappa from the Saint-Etienne Planetarium in France. Orbit and Ephemeris Information for Comet 1995 O1 Hale-Bopp Don Yeomans - JPL March 31, 1997.
The current estimate is circa 4380 CE. Hale-Bopp's orbital period was altered due to the gravitational effects of approaching Jupiter as closely as 0.77AU (1 AU = average distance between earth and sun) in April 1996. The orbital period before it approached the solar system planets was about 4200 years, which changed to 2380 years following the gravitational interaction with Jupiter.
Hale Bopp Orbit Path
Like most comets, Hale-Bopp also releases large jets of easily vaporized material when it approaches the sun. While predominantly H2O, many other compounds such as acetaldehyde, prussic acid, and hydrogen sulfide are also present in these jets. Even though such outgassing has been modeled, it introduces additional uncertainties to orbital period estimation.
Hale Bopp Orbit Map
Where Is Hale Bopp Now
Cometa Hale Bopp Orbita
This page was last updated on July 18, 2015.