Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091216.html
In March, 1996, The comet Hyakutake passed by Earth within one-tenth of an AU. In this picture, the tail, which consists of dust and ions, is easily visible behind the very bright main body of the comet. The end of the tail was distorted because of a magnetic disconnection event. The coma contains a nucleus of ice that is about five kilometers across. Hyakutake emitted X-rays, which may have been caused by interaction with solar wind particles. Hyakutake may have been seen by Magdalenians 17,000 years ago, and is not expected to pass Earth for another 100,000 years.
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