Comet Hyakutake was perceived by the collective vision of a globally linked community.

At the same time as some claim there is no place for communities in the modern world, modern information technology is dissolving distance as a barrier to the formation of communities. This page has been compiled to acknowledge a global community that rapidly formed as Comet Hyakutake passed in the early months of 1996. May the internet promote the growth of many more such communities of individuals bound by common interest and endeavour.
January 31, 1996 18:26 UT
Copyright 1996 Takuo Kojima
Observer: Takuo Kojima
Location: Chiyoda, Japan

120 sec exposure North is up and 20' X 15' field of view. Taken with a 25cm f/6 Newtonian reflector and ST-6 CCD.
February 1, 1996 16:58 UT
Copyright 1996 Gordon Garradd
Observer: Gordon Garradd
Location: Loomberah, New South Wales, Australia

120 sec exposure. North is up in this 13.5' X 12' field. Taken a 25cm f/4.1 Newtonian and HI-SIS 222.
February 4, 1996
Observer: R. Casas
Location: Teide Observatory, Canary Islands, Spain

Images taken with IAC80 Telecope (0.82m).
February 5, 1996
Observers: H. Cabot, F. Colas, S. Jancart, L. Jorda, J. Lecheux
Location: Pic du Midi Observatory, France

Observed at the 1.05 m telescope with a Thomson 7863 CCD of 388 x 284 pixels and a focal reducer F/6. The comet was at a heliocentric distance of 2.0 AU and at a geocentric distance of 1.7 AU. The phase angle is 30 degrees.
February 9, 1996 08:21 UT
Observer: Jean-Marie Will
Location: European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile

This false-colour was obtained with the DFOSC instrument at the Danish 1.54-metre telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory. It is a reproduction of a 20-min CCD frame. The instrument was DFOSC with the Danish Loral/Lesser CCD (2052 x2052 pix; field of view 13.3 x 13.3 arcmin). At the time of this observation, the comet was at a distance of 1.52 AU (227 million kilometres) from the Earth and 1.88 AU ( 281 million kilometres) from the Sun.
February 11, 1996 15:50 UT
Observer: Terry Lovejoy
Location: Jimboomba, QLD, Australia

Exposure is 60 seconds with Kodak based CCD camera operating in 2x2 binned mode attached to a Takahashi 16cm f3.3 reflector. The moon is only 10 degrees or less from the comet. Note the beginning of the tail. Field size is 45' x 30'.
February 12 03:36 UT
Observers: Alessandro Dimai, Giuseppe Menardi
Location: Col Druscie Observatory, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

540 second exposure using the CCD Hi-Sis 22 and Telescope Newton 0.5 m f/3.8.
February 13, 1996 08:11-08:18 UT
Observers: Thomas Rauch, Victor Merino
Location: European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile

This false-colour photo demonstrates the asymmetry, now apparent in the coma of Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake). The images to the left are reproductions of two CCD frames obtained with the EFOSC1 instrument at the Cassegrain focus of the ESO 3.6-metre telescope. A total of four exposures were made through four standard optical filtres (U, B, V and R) with exposure times from 20 to 50 seconds; those in B and R are shown here after suitable image processing.
February 15, 1996
Observer: Masami Okyudo
Location: Misato Observatory, Japan

Image obtained in a CCD camera attached with 105-cm reflector.
February 16, 1996 08:38 UT
Observer: David Toth
Location: West Summerland Key, Florida

This is a 2 minute ST6 image with an Astropysics 180mm f/7 refractor. Guided on starfield with ST4. Dark-subtracted and flat-fielded only.
February 17 03:36 UT
Observers: Alessandro Dimai, Giuseppe Menardi, Piergiorgio Cusinato, Alfonso
Pocchiesa, Davide Ghirardo
Location: Col Druscie Observatory, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

360 second exposure using the CCD Hi-Sis 22 and Telescope Newton 0.5 m f/3.8.
February 18, 1996 17:15 UT
Copyright 1996 Gordon Garradd
Observer: Gordon Garradd
Location: Loomberah, New South Wales, Australia

Sum of 2 X 300 sec exposures. North is up in this 23' X 15' field, which has been scaled down here. False colour palette has been applied to show inner and outer detail in the coma and tail. The the coma is approximately 15' diameter, when viewed with a higher contrast setting than shown here. Taken with a 25cm f/4.1 Newtonian and HI-SIS 22 CCD.
February 20, 1996
Observers: Michael Brown, Chris Fluke
Location: Siding Spring Observatory, Australia

A false colour image (in R band) using the 40 inch telescope at Siding Spring. The field of view is 24 arcmin X 14 arcmin and the integration time was 200 seconds. The comet's magnitude is approximately R=7.5. The trail at the bottom left of the image is a satellite.
February 21, 1996
Observer: John Menzies
Location: South Africa Astronomical Observatory, Sutherland, South Africa

This is a 200 s CCD image taken through an I filter on the 1.0-m telescope.
February 22, 1996 06:33 UT
Observer: Rodrigo Campos
Location: Pico dos Dias Observatory, Brazil

This 5 minute exposure was taken on a 24-inch Boller & Chivens with a CCD EEV P8603. The comet is shown with false colors representing different intensity levels.
February 23, 1996 03:36 UT
Observers: Alessandro Dimai, Piergiorgio Cusinato, Nicola Boaretto
Location: Col Druscie Observatory, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

This image is a mosaic of two exposures of 180 secs. made with a CCD Hi-Sis 22, Telescope Newton 0,5m f/3,8.
February 24, 1996 18:29 UT
Observers: Michael Brown, Chris Fluke
Location: Siding Spring Observatory, Australia

A colour image with the 40 inch telescope. The ion tail is clearly visible, stretching towards the top left of the image. The turn-on of the ion tail (this is the technical term for this event) occured only one week previously. The image is 28 arcmin X 17 arcmin and is a combination of a 60 second R band exposure, an 80 second V band exposure and a 100 second B band exposure. The magnitudes of the comet are approximately R=7.6 and B=7.5. The 60 second R band image showing detail in the tail is available.
February 25, 1996
Observer: Diego Rodriguez
Location: Madrid, Spain

Two 90sec unfiltered CCD frame taken with 15 cm L F/4.short tail extending 15 arc minutes from central cond. PA 195; some other jetlike condensations seen. There was a star in the center of the coma. good conditions.
February 27, 1996 03:48 UT, 03:55 UT
Observer: Herman Mikuz
Location: Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia

This 300s exposure was taken with the 20-cm, f/2 Baker-Schmidt camera, V filter and ST-6 CCD. Exposure started at 3:47:36UT. There is large ellipsoidal coma ~20'x25' and ~1deg faint tail in PA ~290o. See also the 180s R-filter image, obtained at 3:54:47UT with the same instrumentation.
February 28, 1996 18:44 UT
Observer: , M. Sakamoto, Masami Okyudo
Location: Misato Observatory, Misato-town, Japan

Image obtained with 1.05-m telescope and AstroCam LN2 cooled CCD camera (1242 x 1152 pixels) with R-band filter. Exposure time: 2 minutes x 4 frames.
February 29, 1996 06:37 UT
Observers: Klaus Simon, Chris Lidman
Location: European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile

False-colour image reproduced from a short-exposure CCD frame, obtained with the Danish 1.54-metre telescope and the DFOSC instrument with a 2052 x 2052 pix Loral/Lesser CCD. It shows the innermost coma of Comet Hyakutake and the pronounced asymmetry of the dust distribution around the nucleus. The exposure lasted 60 seconds and was made through a red filtre (R). The sky condition was not optimal and the seeing was about 1.5 arcseconds. The pixel size is 0.39 arcsec and the original frame covers an area of 13.3 x 13.3 arcmin. North is up and East is left.
March 1, 1996 03:37, 03:46 UT
Observer: Herman Mikuz
Location: Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia

Image of comet Hyakutake with diffuse ~0.7o dust tail, extending in ~PA 285o. It was processed from the 300s R- filter exposure, taken with the 20-cm, f/2 Baker-Schmidt camera and ST-6 CCD. You may also see the W-B negative of this image, and an additional 5-min V filter exposure.
March 2, 1996 09:57 UT
Observer: David Hanon
Location: Ringgold, Georgia

Image taken with an ST-8 camera on a 7" f/9 refractor.
March 3, 1996 19:48 UT
Observer: Osamu Ohshima
Location: Bisei Astronomical Observatory, Bisei, Okayama, Japan

Image taken with 1.0-m telescope and SBIG ST-6 CCD camera. 3 minute exposure in the R-band at F/6.
March 3, 1996: 10:00 UT, March 4, 1996 10:00 UT
Copyright 1996 Fayetteville Observer-Times
Observer: Johnny Horne
Location: Stedman, North Carolina

The northward motion of Comet Hyakutake against the background stars is seen in two photographs of the same portion of the night sky taken 24 hours apart. The left photo was made at 5 a.m. EST on March 3; the right photo at 5 a.m. EST on March 4. Both photos were made with a 12.5 inch F/4 Newtonian reflector. Both are 10-minute exposures made on Fujicolor SG-800 film. [The March 4 image was made in strong moonlight].
March 5, 1996 18:22 UT, 18:30 UT
Observer: Masami Ohkuma
Location: Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan

Image taken with 10cm f6.4 + ST-4. 90 second exposure.
March 6, 1996 03:37 UT, 03:48 UT
Observer: Herman Mikuz
Location: Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia

Image were taken in broad moonlight! Latest close-up view of comet, recorded in the light of singly-ionized water ions. It was taken with the 36-cm, f/6.8 S-C telescope, CCD and narrow-band H2O+ filter, centered at 620nm (FWHM=10nm). Exposure time was 5 minutes. Note the faint wavy ion tail, extending to NW direction.The colors are false and were used in order to enhance the comet tail structure.
March 8, 1996 12:45 UT
Observer: Douglas Snyder
Location: San Jose, California

The image was taken with an ST6 CCD camera attached to a 25cm telescope working at f/6.3. Focal Length of approximately 1600 cm. The Field of View of the image is approximately 14' x 10' (arcminutes). This is a track & accumulate image of 10 each, 60 second exposures, with guiding locked to the comet's coma.
March 9, 1996 02:10 UT
Observers: Bart Declercq, Philippe Mollet
Location: Public Observatory MIRA, Grimbergen, Belgium

500mm f/3.5 Comet Catcher and Cookbook CCD-camera.
March 10, 1996 03:12 UT
Observer: Otto Farago
Location: Swabian Observatory, Stuttgart, Germany

200 sec exposure. North is up and cut-field 6.8' x 4.4' of view. Taken with a Celestron 14" (350/2890mm) and ST-6 CCD.
March 11, 1996 11:43 UT
Observers: Adolfo Cabral, Javier Pompa
Location: University of Sonora, Mexico

March 12, 1996 06:28 UT, 10:04 UT
Observers: Jay Edwards, James Eggleston
Location: Vestal, New York

The image is "track & accumulate" of 5 sixty second images at prime focus thru a 20 inch Ritchey-Chretien (f/8.1), done using an ST-6 CCD.
March 13,1996 15:36 UT
Observers: N. Tokimasa, S. Narusawa
Location: Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory, Japan

35cm schmidt cassegrain telescope (Celestron) + SBIG ST-6 (no filter). 100 second exposure.
March 14, 1996 06:00 UT
Observer: Guido Pizarro
Location: European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile

There is now no doubt that Comet Hyakutake - as hoped - is developing into a major object! Image obtained with the 1-metre Schmidt telescope. The exposure was made on sensitized Kodak 4415 film behind a GG385 filtre. Exposure lasted 26 min. North is up and East is to the left.
March 16, 1996 UT
Observer: Richard Wainscoat
Location: University of Hawaii

North is at the top, and east is at the left. R-band image of Comet Hyakutake from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope using a 8192x8192 CCD camera, mounted at the prime focus. Exposure time was 5 seconds. Displayed is the central 2x2 arcminute region of the full field. It shows detail in the nuclear region, and the tail extending into the nucleus. The image is binned by a factor of 2; each pixel shown is 0.41 arcseconds. The seeing was approximately 0.7 arcseconds.
March 17, 1996 01:00 UT
Observer: Ismael Civera Alcaniz
Location: Villatoya (Albacete), Spain

Image was taken with a 135mm F:1.8 , Kodakcolor 100 ASA and 10 minutes of exposure.
March 18, 1996
Copyright 1996 Jack Newton
Observer: Jack Newton
Location: Canada

Image: 60 sec. 300mm f2.8 tri colour March 18 about 1am.
March 19, 1996
Observer: Olivier Hainaut, Richard West, Manuel Pizarro, Vicente Reyes
Location: European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile

The most recent ESO observations of bright Comet Hyakutake have shown rapid changes in the innermost coma, within a few hundred kilometres from the cometary nucleus. This result has only become possible because of the unusual combination of a bright comet being near the Earth, together with the excellent imaging quality of the ESO 3.5-metre New Technology Telescope (NTT). The image shown is one of a number based on a unique series of fourty-four 2-sec exposures, obtained under excellent conditions (seeing 0.7 - 0.8 arcsec).
March 20, 1996 16:48-17:41 UT
Observer: Masami Ohkuma
Location: Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan

Image taken with 640mm + Lynxx.
March 21, 1996 16:50 UT
Observers: Steve Fleming, Zelko Karlovic
Location: Central Victoria, Australia

The photograph was taken on Fujicolour 1600 ISO colour print film using a Nikon FM2 fitted with a Nikkor 200mm lens at f/4 for 20mins. For the duration of the exposure, the camera was piggy-back mounted on a Celestron C8 and tracked manually.
March 22, 1996
Observers: G. Szokoly, A Connolly
Location: Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona

Shot taken using the Mayall 4m telescope in the B (blue) band with the T2KB chip in primary focus. The sky was a bit cloudy, which made this exposure possible (the comet was around 1.2 magnitude bright, which saturated the 38 inch telescope in 1-2 seconds -- the 4m is 156 inch). The image is raw, but in the near future we have no time to do the proper flat fielding, etc. so we provide it as is. The exposure is a minute long, and it's aimed at the tail (the center ofthe field is offset by 10 arcminutes).
March 23, 1996 UT
Observers: David Jewitt, Jun Chen
Location: University of Hawaii

North is at the top, and east is at the left. Imaged at the University of Hawaii 2.2 meter telescope on UT 1996 March 23. The tailward spike is evident, as are asymmetries in the coma surrounding the nucleus. The original image scale was 0.22 arcseconds / pixel. A sub-frame of the 2048 x 2048 charge-coupled device is shown. At this time, 1 arcsecond = 87 km, measured at the comet (geocentric distance = 0.12 AU). The image is heavily processed to enhance coma structures.
March 23, 1996
Observer: John Rigoni
Location: Hesperia, California

Image taken 3-23-96 using 400 Royal Gold Kodak 210 mm f5.6 30 mins.
March 24, 1996 19:40 UT, 23:22 UT
Observer: Philippe Demoulin
Location: Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

Image 1 : 30 second unguided exposure on TMax 3200, 50 mm lens at f/1.8 (moonlight conditions).
March 25, 1996 13:30 UT
Observer: Hal Weaver
Location: Hubble Space Telescope

These are NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of comet Hyakutake (designated C/1996 B2), taken at 8:30 P.M.. EST on Monday, March 25 when the comet passed at a distance of only 9.3 million miles from Earth. Unlike most of the published images of Hyakutake, these Hubble images focus on a very small region near the heart of the comet, the icy, solid nucleus. The Hubble images provide an exceptionally clear view of the near-nucleus region of comet Hyakutake. The images were taken through a red filter with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (in WF mode). The sunward and tailward directions are at approximately the 4 o'clock and 11 o'clock positions, respectively. Celestial North and East are at approximately the 5:30 and 2:30 positions, respectively.
March 26, 1996
Observer: Raymond Desmarais, Jr.
Location: Ozark National Forest

90 second exp., 50 mm lens, Kodak gold 1000.
March 27, 1996 03:10 UT
Observer: Henry Hendriks
Location: sterrenwacht Halley te Heesch, the Netherlands

5.6/400 mm Nikkor. 4 minute exposure. Fujicolor 1600 super HG.
March 27, 1996 11:00 - 13:00 UT
Observer: Tim Parker
Location: Angeles Crest Highway, California

The image was taken with a Quantaray 35-70mm zoom lens set at 35mm f/2.8 on a Nikon 5005 camera body. It is a composite of two consectutive 3 minute exposures on Konica SR 3200 color print film. Shot with camera piggybacked on a clock-driven Celestron SP-C80 refractor (but with no special guiding).
March 27, 1996
Observers: C. Lisse, M. Mumma, K. Dennerl, J. Schmitt, J. Englhauser
Location: ROSAT satellite

A team of U.S. and German astrophysicists have made the first ever detection of X-rays coming from a comet. Their discovery of a strong radiation signal -- about 100 times brighter than even the most optimistic predictions -- was made March 27, 1996, during observations of Comet Hyakutake using Germany's orbiting ROSAT satellite.
March 27, 1996
Observer: David Martinez
Location: Orange Orchards, Corona, California
March 28, 1996 06:00 UT

Film: Fuji 100ASA. Camera: Pentax ME Super. Lens: 28-80 50mm Pentax. Aperture: f2. Time: 90 sec.
March 29, 1996 UT
Observer: Jarle Aasland
Location: Norway

Equipment: Nikon F4, 135 mm lens f/2.8, Fujicolor 400, exposure: 4 mins.
March 30, 1996 UT
Observer: Thomas Collin
Location: Canada

These pictures taken approximately 10 minutes apart show the mouvement of the comet. They were taken at the prime focus of a Dynamax 8 on March 29. They were taken with a gibbous moon high in the sky. The film used is Fujicolor 400 and the exposure about 2 minutes at f/10.
March 31, 1996 UT
Observer: Al Legary
Location: Maidstone, Ontario, Canada

Image is three (rgb) 15 second exposures. Notice the bulge to the top of the head. The image is with a 16 inch newtonion and a home made ccd camera at minus 40 C.
April 1, 1996 18:30 UT
Observers: A. Ozguc, O. Barlas, H.Bolge, L. Altas, T. Atac, A. Duzgelen
Location: Kandilli Observatory, Istanbul, Turkey

This image was taken with 1600 fujicolor film, exposure time was 3 minutes. The camera was mounted on a refractor with an objective at f/9, focal length 147cm.
April 2, 1996 02:44 UT
Observer: John Farrell
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico

A 15 second exposure taken with a 36 cm SCT at f/7 and an Axiom Research AX-2 CCD camera. The image shows the shells in the coma and a fragment in the tail. The inset shows the spiral jets near the nucleus.
April 3, 1996 00:00 UT
Observer: David Hanon
Location: Ringgold, Georgia

The image is a 5 minute exposure with a 300mm lens at f/2.8 and ST-8 ccd camera. The near full moon and sky-glow interfered with imaging but several streamers can be seen leaving the coma and some dark lanes in the tail.
April 4, 1996 01:40 UT
Observer: Kurt Svihla
Location: Vevay, Indiana

Canon AE-1, 50 mm lens, F2.8, 45 seconds, Kodak Royal Gold 1000.
April 6, 1996 UT
Observer: Masami Ohkuma
Location: Owakundai, Hakone, Kanagawa, Japan

PENTAX LX 55mm F1.2 Fuji Super G800 film 5 sec Exposed
April 7, 1996 02:20 UT
Observer: Roy Parrish
Location: Bellevue, Lousianna

First image is a 20-minute exposure on gas-hypered Fujichrome 200 film, taken with a 200-mm Nikkor lens at f4, 1A filter, mid-time of exposure 1996 Apr 07 02:20 (UT). Guided on the comet.

Second image is the same image with a histogram equalization done by the commercial software Hijaak Pro (pretty low-tech, but it looks like it reveals some more of the tail and perhaps the presence of a second tail).
April 8, 1996 03:58 UT
Observers: Adolfo Cabral, Pepe Farah
Location: University of Sonora, Mexico

6cm refractor + CCD ST-4X, 30 second exposure.
April 9, 1996 02:38 UT
Observer: David McDavid
Location: Limber Observatory, Pipe Creek, Texas

North is up, east is left, and the field of view is about 3 degrees square. This image is a composite of six 5-s exposures with a Photometrics CCD camera (Thomson 512 CCD) and Robert Reeves' 135-mm Nikon lens at f/4, using the 0.4-m telescope.
April 10, 1996 11:16 UT
Observer: Sang Ho Cho
Location: Taejon, South Korea

101mm (4inches) f/5 focal length=500mm refractor, Fuji super G 800 film, 14 min exposure.
April 11, 1996 01:18 UT
Observer: Tim Puckett
Location: Villa Rica, Georgia

This image of 1996B2 was obtained with a 30 cm reflector working at f/7.3 This is (3) 60 second exposures co-added made with the ST6 camera. The first exposure was taken on 04-11-96 at 01:18:28 UT. Image was processed to bring out the jets. North is up , field is 13.5 x 9.5 minutes
April 12, 1996
Observer: Michel Saint-Laurent
Location: Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada

105 mm, F 2.8, 20 minutes, 2415 hypered.
April 13, 1996 UT
Observer: Masami Ohkuma
Location: Nobeyama, Nagano, Japan

PENTAX 6X7 105mm F2.4 Konika GX3200 film. 30 sec Exposed.
April 14, 1996 19:03 UT
Observer: Herman Mikuz
Location: Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia

Wide-field mosaic image taken with the 2.8/180mm lens, CCD and narrow-band H2O+ filter, centered at 620nm (FWHM=10nm). Two consecutive frames were taken between 19:03 and 19:20UT. Each frame was exposed for 5 minutes. The frame field of view is 6.6x2.4 deg.
April 16, 1996 20:35 UT
Observer: Gregor Krannich
Location: Wuenschendorf, Erzgebirge mountains, Germany

The image is taken with a 200mm f/3.5 lens on Fujicolor super G 400 film, 15 min exposure time, guided with AS 100/1000 refractor.
April 17, 1996
Observer: Peter Barvoets
Location: Pennsylvania

April 18, 1996 01:25 UT
Observer: David Hanon
Location: Ringgold, Georgia

Image is a mosaic of (2) 2 minute exposures taken with a 180mm f/2.5 lens and ST-8 ccd camera.
April 20, 1996 3:20 UT
Copyright 1996 Vic Winter
Observer: Vic Winter
Location: Farpoint Observatory, Kansas

45mph winds calmed somewhat for this shot that shows the separation between the dust and plasma tails. One very strong gust "bounced" the 500 mm, f4 piggyback mounted lens during this 10 minute exposure. Photographed on Fuji Super G 400 ASA Color Negative film.
April 21, 1996 04:30-05:15 UT
Copyright 1996 Michale DeMarquette
Observers: Michael DeMarquette, Gregg Thompson
Location: Mt. Pino, California

The image was taken with a 28mm lens @ F/3.5, time for exposure was 4min 15sec.
April 22, 1996 10:15 UT
Observer: Dianne Marshall
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

30 second exposure, 50 mm lens, Kodak 1000 Gold film, F4.5, lots of aurora.
April 23, 1996
Observer: Francoid Colas
Location: Pic du Midi Observatory, France

May 2-3, 1996
Observer: SOHO Spacecraft
Location: Earth Orbit

This file was created by Michael Gallagher
using text and images downloaded on 15th June 1996 from
the Comet Hyakutake Image Archive
compiled by Ron Baalke at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov