Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Hale-Bopp , the Comet of the Century , is leaving the inner Solar System. Outbound at about 12 miles per second it is presently nearing the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter . This false-color image represents a recent view from low Earth orbit showing the comet surrounded by its shrinking coma against a background of stars. The once bright Hale-Bopp has faded below 4th magnitude but is still visible to Earthbound observers south of 35 degrees north latitude .
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