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Background:


From the moment of its discovery, controversy surrounded Comet Hale-Bopp. As if being the biggest comet in recent memory weren't enough, Hale-Bopp was thought by some to be accompanied by another object even more portentous. "The companion," as it came to be called, was simply a figment of computer glitches and wild imagination, according to all the mainstream astronomers who spoke on the record. Still, rumors abounded that other experts, so far unnamed, did affirm the companion's existence.

If the companion was there at all, it could have been a second piece of the comet itself -- or some other, as yet unidentified, natural object. But some said it was much weirder than that... perhaps sentient, perhaps alien, perhaps a spacecraft of planetary size.

For background on the Hale-Bopp controversy as it developed during 1996 and early 1997, see The Hale-Bopp Controversy.

But the most chilling interpretation of Comet Hale-Bopp is a separate story -- the story of the UFO cult now known as Heaven's Gate, headed by Marshall Herff Applewhite, aka Do. The Heaven's Gate Web Site explains the group's belief that Hale-Bopp was a sign of the end for this level of reality, and an invitation to move to a higher level aboard a UFO trailing the comet. Making good on their beliefs, group members committed mass suicide near Rancho Santa Fe, California in March, 1997. In years to come, no analysis of Hale-Bopp will be complete without mention of the Heaven's Gate group. For in-depth coverage of the Heaven's Gate story, go to Search CNI News and enter keyword "Applewhite."

The following photos and captions reflect varying analyses of the comet as it approached the earth during 1996.



The Hale-Bopp Companion Photo:

This image was allegedly taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on November 10, 1996. Like the controversial image by Houston-based amateur astronomer Chuck Shramek, which was taken a few days later, this shows an unusually large and bright object in the vicinity of Hale-Bopp.


The Hale-Bopp Companion. Click on image to expand.

Does this show the companion? Author Whitley Strieber and remote viewer Courtney Brown, among others, say yes. But mainstream astronomers without exception -- so far -- say it's just a distant star distorted by the imaging process itself. Importantly, most photos of Hale-Bopp show nothing at all that could represent the companion, as demonstrated in the following series of images. In light of this fact, believers in the companion say it must come and go, enhancing its aura of strangeness and possible artificiality. The controversy continues.



The Astronomy Photo Of Day Images:

For reference and further study, CNINews has done a search of the Astronomy Photo of the Day website and presents here a list of photos of Hale-Bopp ranging in time from its discovery in August of 1995 to as recently as November 1996. Use the links to find other Hale-Bopp resources on the web and do your own research into the mysterious companion, or lack thereof.

Oddly, a "companion", or second object can be seen in the "October 30, 1995 - Comet Hale-Bopp Update" image, but not in any of the others.

After viewing each picture, use the back button on your browser to return to this list.

December 19, 1996 - Comet Hale-Bopp Inbound

Explanation: Headed toward the inner Solar System, the much anticipated Comet Hale-Bopp has promised to put on a big show next spring. The comet's apparent brightness is currently approaching 4th magnitude and its inbound journey has been closely followed by many observers. But because it is now so near the Sun's position in the sky it is a difficult target for large ground based optical telescopes as well as the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

This series of HST images hints at the comet's evolution during the last year, illustrating active and quiescent phases. Hidden from direct view by the dusty cometary coma, Hale-Bopp's nucleus is centered in each frame.

A single telescopic image of the comet has recently caused substantial activity on the internet based on false claims of the existence of a mysterious companion. However, the mystery guest turned out to be an 8th magnitude star!

Many predict that by next spring telescopes large or small will not be needed to appreciate the true spectacle of Hale-Bopp as it blossoms into a naked-eye astronomical wonder.

November 13, 1996 - Seven Jets from Comet Hale-Bopp

Explanation: Comet Hale-Bopp is turning out to be quite unusual. One reason is the great amount of jet activity at such a large distance from the Sun. In the above false-color image, no less than seven jets can be seen emanating from Hale-Bopp's coma. As a comet nears the Sun, it's surface warms causing jets of previously trapped gas and dust to stream away from the nucleus. Astronomers continue to study Comet Hale-Bopp's unusual jet activity and wonder how much about the early Solar System Hale-Bopp will teach them, and how bright Hale-Bopp will ultimately become.

November 12, 1996 - Comet Hale-Bopp Passes M14

Explanation: Comet Hale-Bopp continues its slow trek across the night sky, and can now be seen superposed near the bright globular cluster M14. Will Comet Hale-Bopp become as bright in early 1997 as Comet Hyakutake did in early 1996? It is still too early to tell. Currently Hale-Bopp is curiously holding at about 5th magnitude - just barely bright enough to see without binoculars from a dark location. Because of the size of coma, some speculate that the nucleus of Hale-Bopp is unusually large. The actual nucleus is obscured, however, and recent speculation includes that the nucleus is comparable in size to Comet Halley - about 10-15 km across.

September 17, 1996 - Comet Hale-Bopp Fades

Explanation: Comet Hale-Bopp has faded in the past few weeks. For Hale-Bopp, promised as the Great Comet of 1997, this was a bit of a disappointment -- but not entirely unexpected. Comet Hale-Bopp continues to approach the Sun - making the comet itself brighten, but now the Earth is moving away from it - making the comet appear to dim. Experts disagree on just how bright Hale-Bopp will become. Optimists hope it will eventually outshine Comet Hyakutake, but some pessimists now expect no better than 3rd magnitude - hardly visible from well-lit cities. Comet Hale-Bopp still appears to be, however, a very large comet, and is sure to show much activity as it nears the Sun. The comet should reach peak brightness in March 1997. This image was taken on August 18th and shows gas shed from the nucleus of the comet.

July 29, 1996 - A Dust Jet From Hale-Bopp

Explanation: Approaching the inner Solar System, comet Hale-Bopp's icy nucleus is heated by sunlight, accelerating its production of dust and gas. Shrouded in the resulting cloud, known as the coma, the cometary nucleus remains hidden from direct view. However, astronomers using a 2.2 meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory in May, were able to detect an enormous jet of dust extending northward (up) from the nuclear region as seen in this false color image. Dust jets may arise from vents on the surface of the nucleus. Early estimates of the size of Hale-Bopp's nucleus have indicated that it could be as large as 40 kilometers (24 miles) in diameter -- several times larger than comet Halley's. Hale-Bopp's copious dust production bodes well for it becoming a bright naked-eye comet in the spring of 1997.

July 25, 1996 - Hale-Bopp on Schedule

Explanation: The spring of 1997 could well offer a cometary wonder, Comet Hale-Bopp. Discovered last year while approaching the inner solar sytem Hale-Bopp has been eagerly watched for signs that it will indeed brighten spectacularly. So far, things look good! This recent image of the comet was made on May 14 at the European Southern Observatory when the comet about 340 million miles from Earth. It is shown here using false colors to indicate relative brightness. Stars are visible through the expanding coma. Recent reports are that its level of activity, the rate of dust and gas production from the solar heating of the icy nucleus is as expected. An analysis of its orbit indicates that this comet will approach to within nearly 120 million miles of Earth on March 22, 1997. The orbital calculations also reveal that Hale-Bopp has visited the inner solar system before ... about 4200 years ago.

July 23, 1996 - Hale-Bopp, Jupiter, and the Milky Way

Explanation: Shining brightly, the mighty Jupiter rules this gorgeous Kodacolor photo of the Milky Way near Sagittarius. Astronomer Bill Keel took the picture earlier this month (July 7) while standing near the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. In addition to the gas giant planet, which is well placed for evening viewing, the image contains an impressive sampler of celestial goodies. The much anticipated comet Hale-Bopp is also clearly visible. Astronomers monitoring Hale-Bopp's activity report that having now brightened to almost 6th magnitude it is still on track for becoming an extremely bright naked-eye comet in early 1997.

October 30, 1995 - Comet Hale-Bopp Update

Explanation: Will comet Hale-Bopp become the brightest comet of the Century in early 1997? Since its discovery in July this year, Hale-Bopp has caused much speculation. Even though it is still beyond the orbit of Jupiter it is astonishingly bright and expected to get much brighter as it plunges inward, toward the Sun. In this latest Hubble Space Telescope image a bright clump of material (above center) has apparently been ejected by evaporation and the rotation of the icy nucleus.

August 20, 1995 - Announcing Comet Hale-Bopp

Explanation: The pictured fuzzy patch may become one of the most spectacular comets this century. Although it is very hard to predict how bright a comet will become, Comet Hale-Bopp, named for its discoverers, was spotted further from the Sun than any previous comet - a good sign that it could become very bright, easily visible to the naked eye. This picture was taken on July 25th 1995, only two days after its discovery.




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