Hale Bopp Comet

Caitlin&

Justin

Discovery

• First observed on July 23, 1995.• Most widely observed comet of the 20th

century.• Visible to naked a for a record of 18 months.• Observed by two independent observers: Alan

Hale and Thomas Bopp.

Alan Hale & Thomas Bopp

• Alan Hale spent hundreds of hours searching for comets prior to his discovery.

• He came across the Hale Bopp comet from his driveway in New Mexico and emailed the Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams later that night.

• Thomas Bopp came across the comet in Stanfield, Arizona one night when he was at a friends house observing clusters and galaxies..

Comet Tails

• Hale Bopp Comet consisted of three tails: gas, dust, and sodium.

• The sodium tail could only be visible to powerful instruments with special filters.

• It consisted of natural atoms and extended to 50 kilometers in length.

Scientific Results

• The comet had a known abudance of deuterium. Heavy water was found that had twice the amount of Earth’s oceans.

• Hale Bopp was the first comet where the argon was found.

• Had an orbital period of 2520-2533 years.

Heaven’s Gate UFO Cult

• March 26, 1997 Hale-Bopp was at its brightest stage.

• Police discovered 39 bodies of a group that committed mass cult suicide (21 women & 18 men).

• Based out of San Diego, California group leaders Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles lead the cult to believe that Planet Earth was about to be “recycled” and the only chance of survival was to leave immediately.

Applewhite convinced his 38 fellow cult members that their souls could ride on a spaceship they believed was hiding behind the comet.

The cult rented a 9,200 square foot mansion in a gated community in San Diego, California.

The mass suicide was accomplished by “ingestion of phenobarbital mixed with applesauce” chased by vodka.

In addition, plastic bags were placed around their heads incase that did not work.

Authorities found the dead bodies lying neatly in bunk beds with their faces covered with a purple cloth. Each Member had a $5 bill and three quarters in their pockets.

All 39 dead members had black shirts and sweat pants and brand new black and white “Nike Windrunner” shoes. Lastly, they had armband patches that had the “Heavens Gate Get Away Team.”

The dead cult members were between the ages of 26 and 72.One of the group's members did not kill himself. Weeks before

the suicides, Rio Di Angelo agreed with leader Marshall Applewhite to leave the group so he could, “ensure future dissemination of Heaven's Gate videos and literature.”

Video

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqCYK_w8AAA

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh35j2S68DQ&feature=fvwrel

Works CitedGleick, Elizabeth. "HEAVEN'S GATE." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics,

Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/reports/cult/heavensgate/heavensgate1.html>.

"HEAVEN'S GATE." ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_highe.htm>.

"One Year Later, Heavens Gate Suicide Leaves Only Faint Trail - CNN." Featured Articles from CNN. 25 Mar. 1998. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://articles.cnn.com/1998-03-25/us/9803_25_heavens.gate_1_cult-members-marshall-applewhite-wayne-cooke?_s=PM:US>.

"YouTube - Heaven's Gate Cult Initiation Tape Part 1." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqSZhwu1Rwo>.