Hale-Bopp Above the Cinqui Torri Mountains

Hale-Bopp may be the most photographed comet in history. Above , our photogenic giant flying snowball appeared last month as a backdrop to the “Cinque Torri” Mountains near Contina d'Ampezzo , Italy. Although the comet is still fairly bright , it is fading as it recedes from the Sun , and is now more easily visible from Earth's southern hemisphere . Having shed a few meters of ice and rock from its surface, Comet Hale-Bopp will coast to the outer Solar System , and return again in another 2400 years.