I think Messier would have wanted to return to Earth, even for a brief moment, to view Comet Hyakutake. I'll never forget the last Monday evening of March, when Hyakutake made its closest approach to Earth. The next night we drove to a dark site south of the city to record an even more dramatic panorama. Although the comet had faded slightly, it was still a beautiful sight to behold as it sped by Polaris. During that week reporters asked me what was the best comet I had ever seen.
Some comets are bright, others have long tails, still others have interesting orbits.
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