Comet
Hale-Bopp
Comet Hale-Bopp passed at the perihelion of its orbit on April 1, 1997
at 0.91 AU from the Sun. Its next return will only be in 2380 years.
Optical image of the comet Hale-Bopp.
Interferometer
map of the 12CO(2-1) emission from the comet obtained on March 11, 1997
(resolution: 1.5'').
Spectrum
of a newly detected molecule, SO2, observed with the Plateau de Bure Interfero-meter