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Comet Hale-Bopp
Monday to Friday

bulbicon.gif (950 bytes)Does the comet's position change among the stars in four days?

Observe the comet's motion from Monday morning to Friday morning!
The background stars are in Cygnus, the Swan.

  1. Look at Monday (on right) first. Then look at the Friday.  The pictures are arranged like this because the comet moved to the East (or left in the sky) from night to night. 

  2. Find the same stars in both images.   Use these stars as reference points.

Second Observation
Friday, Feb. 28, 1997 5 a.m.

First Observation
Monday, Feb. 24, 1997 5 a.m.

Sketch and Label the Motion of Comet Hale-Bopp!

  1. Sketch several stars in the image.
  2. Show both Monday and Friday positions of the comet in one sketch.
  3. Draw an arrow to show the motion of the comet.
  4. Label the date of each comet position.
  5. * Plot the comet's path before and after the positions shown!

Write about Comet Hale-Bopp. What surprises you? Explain what you think is happening. What are your questions?

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