Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Hale-Bopp comet over Mt Whitney

Edit: This topic started in the Historic Mt Whitney Pictures thread. Now in its own location.

Steve, I'm not sure how to add a picture from the net. Maybe you could help if it wouldn't violate any copyright issues:

http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/AX010675/halebopp-comet-over-mount-whitney

I love this pic of Hale-Bop over Whitney. Takes my breath away.

Brent

Here's that image, from the Corbis Images website. It would be nice if it were larger, but it is a site that sells pictures, so this is what they make available on the web.

The Hale-Bopp Comet was discovered in 1995, and reached its closest point to the sun on April 1, 1997. It comes around about every 4385 years.

I remember seeing Hale-Bopp over Mt Whitney when I did the Wild Wild West Marathon in 1997. We stood outside the doors of the Dow Villa and could see it well, of course not as nice as the image provided. Great memory.

It has been pointed out to me that the picture of Hale-Bopp over Whitney is probably a doctored picture, and I agree. All the other pictures of Hale-Bopp with any trees or other identifiable objects make it look much smaller.

Very doctored, but impressive ..... Hale-Bopp was very obvious in the sky above Mt Whitney, much like a shooting star with a trail behind it, but just standing still.
Can you imagine what it looked like from higher on the trail?
I consider myself lucky to have seen it the night before the marathon.

Steve,

I contacted Corbis and asked them if Hale-Bopp was superimposed. Their answer was YES! They used the term "composite photography." The photo was composed February 19, 1999.

Please note that Hale-Bopp is shown when it was near or at perihilion--it's closest approach to the sun when Hale-Bopp was at its maximum brilliance. This occurred late March-early April 1997. Please note that 1997 was basically a normal snow year on Whitney, which means the Whitney area would have been pretty much buried in snow. But the image of Whitney shows more of a June-July pattern, with most of the snow gone. Well, Hale-Bopp itself pretty much disappeared from our hemisphere by the end of April 1997. Also, Hale-Bopp was superimposed SOUTH of Mt. Whitney, when in March-April 1997 Hale-Bopp was NORTH of Whitney.

I am really curious about quillansculpture's Hale-Bopp observation, since the Wild Wild West Marathon was in May that year. Did quillansculpture arrive in Lone Pine at the end of April?

Hi, Yea, I was surprised to see your note Hale-Bop had "pretty much" disappeared by the end of April. I think you would have a hard time convincing all us marathoners of that! :-) No, Hale-Bob was plain in the sky with a short, if not open tail. It wasn't anywhere near huge like the image on this site, but it was absolutely very, very obvious. As for the note that it was North of Whitney, I have no idea where it was since I ran marathons back then and didn't have the relationship with Mt Whitney I do now.
As for the date that I saw Hale-Bob while getting ready for the marathon, it would have been May 2nd, a Friday night as the marathon was run on May 3rd.
I did try and figure if I had been to the Sierra's earlier that year because Trout season starts in late April in the Sierra's. My marathon trip was designed around a fishing trip, which means I was in the Sierra's about 4 days earlier, April 29th or 30th, but I spent the entire time in Bishop, Bishop Creek, Sabrina and South Lake. I know I didn't see Hale-Bob while I was in Bishop. I also remember that it was my first off-road marathon and was excited to be running with some really great runners from Corona. That night, Friday, I had my one and only Migraine Headache and woke up throwing up.
So, though I'm 55 and my memory could be better at times, I still remember Hale-Bop over the Sierras. It was a surprise and a wonderful sight, as well as memory. That was the only time I saw Hale-Bop up there. I lived in L.A. at the time and also don't remember being able to see it from there...... so, I guess you have to take it for what it is, because in reality, Hale-Bob was in the sky over the Sierra's on the evening of May 2nd, 1997, not "pretty much" disappeared. You just don't forget a sight like that. But, that's from someone who was blessed enough to have seen it with his own eyes. Hope that answers your curiosity :-)

The below image was taken in Wyoming on May 9th by
Dewey Vanderhoff. Looks like Hale-Bop was still around :-)

Observer: Dewey Vanderhoff
Location: Buffalo Bill Reservoir, Wyoming
Date: May 9, 1997 04:00 UT

In 1997 my mother owned a goat dairy in San Diego. I had been using IRC chat for a year or two at the time. When that cult nearby in SD committed mass suicide to join the UFO mother ship flying behind Hale-Bopp, I changed my IRC nickname to "heavensgoat" and have been using that nick ever since!

Sounds convincing to me, quillansculpture! Thanks! Personal observations beat theory.

A fake? I'm not posting anything more about concepts that I cling to, like the tooth fairy, compassionate politicians who can balance a budget, or unairbrushed magazine covers.

;-)

I dunno..... kinda like that new "Swimsuit Issue" ! :-)