when?
1 May 1996
Comet Hyakutake
1 May 1996
what is comet hyakutake? It is a comet. who discovered it? Yuji Hyakutake what is its orbit? It passes just 0.1 AU from Earth. when was it discovered? 30 January 1996 do you know how close to the sun does it orbit? Approximately 2 astronomical units (AU) is there is a term for it? UNANSWERABLE did a spacecraft pass through its tail? Ulysses spacecraft
wiki:1220040
Comet Hyakutake [SEP] Spacecraft passes through the tail
The "Ulysses" spacecraft made an unexpected pass through the tail of the comet on 1 May 1996. Evidence of the encounter was not noticed until 1998. Astronomers analysing old data found that "Ulysses" instruments had detected a large drop in the number of protons passing, as well as a change in the direction and strength of the local magnetic field. This implied that the spacecraft had crossed the 'wake' of an object, most likely a comet; the object responsible was not immediately identified. In 2000, two teams independently analyzed the same event. The magnetometer team realized that the changes in the direction of the magnetic field mentioned above agreed with the "draping" pattern expected in a comet's ion, or plasma tail.