March 7, 1997: Comet Hale-Bopp - Alan Hale

Dr. Alan Hale, co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp, joins Art Bell for an in-depth conversation about the most spectacular comet in a generation. Hale recounts the July 1995 night he spotted a fuzzy object near a star cluster in Sagittarius, the rush to confirm it was not a cataloged object, and the moment he knew he had found a comet. He and Tom Bopp discovered it within minutes of each other, though Hale's proximity to his home computer gave him the edge in reporting first.

The discussion covers the comet's unprecedented brightness at great distance, its carbon monoxide-driven outgassing, the dual tail structure of ionized gas and dust particles, and Hale's forecast that peak viewing will come in early to mid-April. Art asks pointed questions about the Chuck Shramek companion object controversy, which Hale dispatches as a bright overexposed star with diffraction artifacts. They also explore near-Earth asteroid threats, the Cretaceous extinction impact, and the disappointing retreat from manned space exploration since Apollo.

Hale brings scientific rigor and genuine enthusiasm to a subject swirling with conspiracy and myth. His firsthand account of discovery, combined with accessible explanations of cometary physics, makes this an essential episode for anyone watching the once-in-a-lifetime visitor blazing across the predawn sky.