A Telescope Tale
This July, as Comet NEOWISE solidifies its position as the best comet so far in this century, I reflect back to the previous best seen comet in the northern hemisphere, Comet Hale-Bopp. On this day in 1995, Thomas Bopp and Allan Hale independently co-discovered Hale-Bopp, a celestial object seen by millions. These icy visitors to the inner solar system make themselves know when they brighten upon rounding the sun. Rarely do comets become visible to the eye, let alone be discovered by mere mortals. Today, most comets are discovered by robot telescopes. The story of the discovery of the last great comet of the previous century is an interesting one as it involves my own persona 20-inch reflecting telescope and one of its discoverers.
On July 22, 1995 amateur astronomer Thomas Bopp, found himself in the desert south of Phoenix, Arizona observing with several of his friends. Those present that evening we’re participating in what is known among amateur astronomers as a star party. Present at the informal desert site were two amateur astronomers, Jim Stevens and Kevin Gill. Shortly before midnight, while peering through Mr. Stevens's home-made 17.5-inch reflecting telescope (Mr. Bopp didn’t bring a scope of his own to the party), Bopp noticed a faint glow in the constellation Sagittarius near the known star cluster M-70. Bopp didn’t recall seeing anything in that particular location before, recounting the many times before that he had peered at the star cluster, so he became even more excited when he checked a sky chart only to confirm that no known object was in that location. Comets are frequently discovered in this manner when they brighten and are picked up by astute watchers of the sky. According to Washington Post reporter, Blaine P. Friedl, in a story published in February 1997, Stevens said to Bopp, ”Tom, you might have something”.
The nearest telescope on the field to where Stevens and Bopp had set up was a fairly new 20-inch Obsession telescope owned by Texan, Kevin Gill who had come to Phoenix to observe with the group. In order to get a better look, Bopp walked over in the dark and asked Gill if he could use the 20-inch to confirm what he was seeing in the Stephens instrument, whose quality was somewhat less than perfect according to published reports of the time. After confirming the observation, Bopp realized that something new actually was there. After watching what would soon become his comet for about an hour, Bopp drove home to report it to the International Astronomical Union the world center for collecting and disseminating reports of new discoveries. Later on that same night, a professional astronomer, Alan Hale, would also make the same discovery from his driveway in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The comet subsequently was named after both Mr. Hale and Mr. Bopp.
My best friend, the late Gregg Eubanks of Eldorado, Illinois, had sold Kevin Gill his 20-inch telescope the year before. This is the instrument Mr. Bopp would use to confirm his discovery. I later acquired this telescope from Mr. Gill in 1998, so the second telescope ever to catch a glimpse of Comet Hale-Bopp was my personal telescope, an instrument that has had three owners and has a signifiant pedigree when it comes to discovering comets!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/1997/02/12/how-hale-and-bopp-found-their-comet/51bacf14-7b70-4bf4-98aa-7ebeae49889e/