This was
your sky.

Comet Hale-Bopp Over Val Parola Pass

Comet Hale-Bopp, photographed here above Val Parola Pass in the Dolomite mountains, was bright enough to be seen even over city lights. Its blue ion tail formed when solar wind particles struck ions expelled from the comet's nucleus. The white dust tail is made of larger dust particles pushed away by sunlight. This comet offered a spectacular show, allowing astronomers to study cometary structure and composition from Earth.