Comet Hale-Bopp's Orbital Path
Scientists believe Hale-Bopp began life like any other comet -- just another clump of swirling gases and stardust wandering aimlessly at the edge of our solar system billions of years ago. But then, millions of years ago, it was either knocked or pulled into the sun's gravitational field. Now it's humming along at 40,000 miles per hour on a orbital path that takes it past Earth every 4,000 years.
The following animations, created by Brian Monson of the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are digital re-creations of Hale-Bopp's orbital path.
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