Cosmic Visitor and New York Skyline

Comet Hale-Bopp, the Great Comet of 1997, is photographed here above the United Nations Headquarters and the bright lights of the New York City Skyline. Hale-Bopp, as one of the greatest comets of 20th century, was bright enough to be seen with a part of its spectacular tail from light polluted metropolitan skies. As noted by the photographer and astronomy professor at Hofstra University “The bright star above Hale-Bopp is the famous variable star Algol (Beta-Persei). Even on a clear night the New York sky is dark blue to blue-grey and is similar to a perpetual twilight . The bright lights prevented me from detecting a larger tail of the comet.”