HALE-BOPP ECLIPSE © 1995

This painting shows how the comet Hale-Bopp might have appeared during the total solar eclipse on March 9, 1997. As seen from a location near the Mongolian city of Ulaanbaatar, the sun will be at an elevation of 14° above the horizon just after sunrise. Mercury (closest to sun) and Venus add to the spectacular celestial show, and could even outshine the comet. Hale-Bopp would have presented a fabulous sight in the strangely darkened sky with the eclipsed sun.