above, comet Hyakutaki in 1996. The star in the middle of the swirl is Polaris, the North Star. The other stars have trails as the earth rotated during the long exposure time of this photo. I left the camera shutter open for about 5 minutes to gather enough light to capture the comet. Photos by Jeff Gardner.

Below, comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. This photo was taken from the front door of my home as Hale-Bopp skirted the Northern horizon. For more information about these and other comets click here. Photo of the moon.
.