A Star Cluster Through Hale-Bopp's Tail

Explanation : Comet Hale-Bopp continues to look impressive. The photograph above captured the comet on April 7 th passing nearly in front of M34 , a star cluster in the constellation of Perseus . Many of the stars in this open cluster can be seen through Comet Hale-Bopp 's white dust tail. The bright blue ion tail now shows several streams. Now receding from both the Sun and the Earth, Comet Hale-Bopp should still remain an impressive sight for weeks to come as it slowly fades.