If anyone questions the vitality of Comet Hale-Bopp, take note: in mid- November, radio observations showed that each second the comet's nucleus was pumping some 30 tons of water into space and another 6 of carbon monoxide. That helps explain why the comet is already magnitude 4.5. But the coming weeks will be the last moonless opportunity moonlight to view Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) before it draws too near the Sun. The farther north you live, the better your observing geometry. Here are Hale-Bopp's positions for the coming week at 0 hours Universal Time:
Date R. A. Decl.
----------------------------
November 30 18h 3.1m -0d 44'
December 2 18 5.2 -0 29
4 18 7.2 -0 14
6 18 9.4 +0 2
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