Observers at midnorthern latitudes have been eagerly awaiting the reappearance of Comet Hale-Bopp in the early morning sky following last month's conjunction with the Sun. Those hoping for a spectacular apparition later this spring are not disappointed. The comet is already easily visible to the naked eye in the predawn twilight. On January 9th the comet was shining at about magnitude 3.0, more than twice as bright as it was in mid-December. SKY & TELESCOPE's Dennis di Cicco viewed Hale-Bopp from Duxbury Beach south of Boston, Massachusetts, and he reports noticing several distinct features, including a diffuse glow extending southward in a roughly sunward direction.
Here are Comet Hale-Bopp's equinox 2000.0 coordinates for this week at 0 hours Universal Time:
R.A. (2000) Decl.
---------------------
January 12 19h 0.0m +7d 45'
14 19 3.5 +8 23
16 19 7.1 +9 2
18 19 10.8 +9 43
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