... Hale-Bopp Brightest Comet This Century . ... A comet as bright as Comet Hale-Bopp is very rare indeed. ... However, since Comet Hale-Bopp is across the inner Solar System from us, it does not appear as bright as Comet West did in 1975. ... Despite recent attempts by other spectacular and dramatic celestial events to take center stage, Comet Hale-Bopp remains the most popular object in the sky (according to APOD access logs!) and is likely to make this spring memorable for many. ... Water World . ...