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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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This is my photograph. Please click on the PHOTO LINKS BELOW to
view. I decided to place a cache at this location. I took this
photo in 1997. Please bring a pencil/pen as this is a log-only
cache. The cache placement has been o.k.'ed by the property owners
and the no parking/ towing signs were placed by them to discourage
illegal poaching and fishing. Cachers are o.k. Thanks to
CarriageHouseFarm.
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Comet
Hale-Bopp was probably the most widely observed comet of the
twentieth century, and one of the brightest seen for many decades.
It was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months, twice as
long as the previous record holder, the Great Comet of 1811.
Hale-Bopp was discovered on July 23, 1995 at a very large distance
from the Sun, raising expectations that the comet could become very
bright when it passed close to the Sun. Although comet brightnesses
are very difficult to predict with any degree of accuracy,
Hale-Bopp met or exceeded most predictions for its brightness when
it passed perihelion on April 1, 1997. The comet was dubbed the
Great Comet of 1997. The passage of Hale-Bopp was notable also for
inciting a degree of panic about comets not seen for decades.
Rumours that the comet was being followed by an alien spacecraft
gained remarkable currency, and inspired a mass suicide among
followers of a cult named Heaven's Gate. Hale-Bopp became visible
to the naked eye in May 1996, and although its rate of brightening
slowed considerably during the latter half of 1996, scientists were
still cautiously optimistic that it would become very bright. It
was too close to the Sun to be observable during December 1996, but
when it reappeared in January 1997 it was already bright enough to
be seen by anyone who looked for it, even from large cities with
light-polluted skies. The comet became a spectacular sight in early
1997.The Internet was a growing phenomenon at the time, and
numerous websites that tracked the comet's progress and provided
daily images from around the world became extremely popular. The
Internet played a large role in encouraging the unprecedented
public interest in Hale-Bopp. As the comet approached the Sun, it
continued to brighten, shining at 2nd magnitude in February, and
showing a growing pair of tails, the blue gas tail pointing
straight away from the Sun and the yellowish dust tail curving away
along its orbit. On March 9, a solar eclipse in Mongolia and
eastern Siberia allowed observers there to see the comet in the
daytime. Hale-Bopp had its closest approach to Earth on March 22,
1997. As it passed perihelion on April 1, 1997, the comet had
developed into a spectacular sight. It shone brighter than any star
in the sky except Sirius, and its two tails stretched 30–40 degrees
across the sky. The comet was visible well before the sky got fully
dark each night, and while many great comets are very close to the
Sun as they pass perihelion, Comet Hale-Bopp was visible all night
to northern hemisphere observers. As impressive as the comet was,
it could have been much more impressive. Had it passed as close to
Earth as Comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2) did in 1996 (0.1 AU), then the
comet's tail would have spanned the entire sky and it would have
been brighter than the full moon. However, even though its closest
approach to Earth was at a distance of 1.315 AU, a distance which
would have rendered many lesser comets totally invisible, Hale-Bopp
still spanned half the sky with its two tails, although the longest
reaches of the tails were too faint to be visible to the naked eye.
After its perihelion passage, the comet moved into the southern
celestial hemisphere, and its show was over as far as most of the
public of the Northern Hemisphere were concerned. The comet was
much less impressive to Southern Hemisphere observers than it had
been in the Northern Hemisphere, but southerners were able to see
the comet gradually fade from view during the second half of 1997.
The last naked-eye observations were reported in December 1997,
which meant that the comet had remained visible without aid for 569
days, or about 18 and a half months. The previous record had been
set by the Great Comet of 1811, which was visible to the naked eye
for about 9 months. As the comet receded it continued to fade, but
it is still being tracked by astronomers. As of January 2005, the
comet is further from the Sun than Uranus, at a distance from Earth
of about 21 AU, but is still observable with large telescopes.
Recent observations have found that it still displays a distinct
tail. Astronomers expect that the comet will remain observable with
large telescopes until perhaps 2020, by which time it will be
nearing 30th magnitude. By this time it will become very difficult
to distinguish the comet from the large numbers of distant galaxies
of similar brightness. It will return around the year 4377.
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should be a quick park 'n grab.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx ybj