
Comet Hyakutake 30 Years Ago, Taken by Alan Dyer on March 25, 1996 @ near Gleichen, Alberta, Canada
A Fuzzy Light Became A Worldwide Sensation
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 03/27/2026
HAPPY 30TH, COMET HYAKUTAKE: One of the biggest surprises in modern astronomy happened 30 years ago. On Jan. 30, 1996, Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake spotted a faint fuzzball through binoculars. Within weeks, “Comet Hyakutake” became a worldwide sensation as it passed just 0.1 AU from Earth.
Alan Dyer was one of many who photographed it (above) on March 25, 1996–the night of closest approach:









