The Long Light: 18 Months of Hale-Bopp

On April 1, 1997, a comet the size of a small city makes its closest pass to the Sun — and for 18 straight months, anyone who steps outside and looks up can see it with their naked eye. No telescope required. No special equipment. Just the sky, and one of the most spectacular visitors our solar system has seen in a thousand years. Tonight, we trace the arc of Hale-Bopp: where it came from, what it looked like, and when — in the year 4385 — it will finally return.

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