Get ready for one of the most impressive but least anticipated light shows in modern astronomical history. Next month, newly discovered
Comet Hyakutake will pass closer to the Earth than any recent
comet. Unknown before its discovery by Yuji Hyakutake on 30 January 1996, the fuzzy spot in the above photograph is a
comet now predicted to become bright enough to see without a telescope. Although
comets act in such diverse ways that predictions are frequently inaccurate, even conservative estimates indicate that this comet is likely to impress. For example, even if
Comet Hyakutake remains physically unchanged, its close pass near the Earth in late March 1996 should cause it to appear to brighten to about
3rd magnitude - still bright enough to see with the unaided eye. In the next two months, though, the
comet will continue to approach the Sun and hence should become brighter still. Optimistic predictions include that
Comet Hyakutake will change physically, develop a larger coma and tail, brighten dramatically, move noticeably in the sky during a single night, and may ultimately become known as the "The Great Comet of 1996." Move over Hale-Bopp!