During the spring and summer of 1997, many people in the world were lucky enough to see Comet Hale-Bopp. This beautiful comet, with its two streaming tails, was visible in the night sky for many months as it sped around the Sun. It was the brightest comet to be seen in many years. During its closest approach to Earth, it was even visible during twilight.

People have observed comets in the night skies for a long time. Chinese astronomers wrote of "broom stars", or comets, almost 3000 years ago. Written and oral records from Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Europe all speak of cometary visits throughout the ages. For many peoples, comets were omens of disaster. They were blamed for wars, earthquakes, plagues, even the deaths of leaders. Early European astronomers thought that comets were a type of cloud in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Hale-Bopp comet in 1998 taken by Ian Griffin.