Photos © Neal Ulevich. All rights reserved.

Hale-Bopp photographed April 6 1997 about 9:30 pm MDT from Loveland Pass in the Rocky Mountains. The pass, 48.4 miles west of Denver, crosses the Continental Divide at 12,000 feet above sea level. This photo was made with a 135mm f2 lens on a Nikon N90s camera. Kodak Gold 1000 film was exposed for 20 seconds at f2.

A clear and moonless sky yielded this time exposure photograph of Hale-Bopp March 30 1997 in the Rocky Mountains 69 miles southwest of Denver. The blue tail, not readily seen with the unaided eye, is made up of ionized gases. The details: 50mm f1.4 lens, Kodak ISO 1000 negative film, 30 second exposure. The viewing site, 10,400 feet above sea level, contributed to the clarity.

Not a spaceship, but the futuristic terminal of Denver International Airport is seen against Comet Hale Bopp March 26 1997. The details: 300mm f5.6 lens, Kodak ISO 1000 negative film, 10 second exposure.

It is night, but a full moon illuminates Bent's Old Fort 144 miles southeast of Denver, March 22 1997. The fort, a National Historic Site, was rebuilt in the 1970s. The original fort was a trading post on the Santa Fe Trail in the 1830-40s. Details: 35mm f2 lens, Fuji ISO 1600 negative film, 30 seconds exposure.