Comet Hale-Bopp Outbound . ... Credit Copyright: STS-85 Crew, SWUIS Team , NASA Explanation: Hale-Bopp , the Comet of the Century , is leaving the inner Solar System. Outbound at about 12 miles per second it is presently nearing the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. ... SWUIS (sounds like "swiss") images will be particularly interesting to astronomers who wish to continue to follow the Great Comet's interaction with the Solar Wind . ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...