Alas, in 1976 I was an LDS missionary in Italy and virtually cutoff from real-world events. I didn't even know about Comet West until much later. How would one define a "great" comet? Is there a classical definition? I thought Hale-Bopp was spectacular, and lingered long enough for most folks to get a good look, even from urban skies. By any definition I've understood, Hale-Bopp ought to be a great comet. Hyakutake was spectacular for those of us who took the time to find a dark site, and it also fled our skies rather quickly. So, no, I wouldn't classify Hyakutake as a great comet, either. Loved it, though. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+kimharch=cut.net@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+kimharch=cut.net@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 7:10 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Comet McNaught Due or overdue. They average once in a decade, but even though both Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake were really, really good, I wouldn't put either in the "great" category, in the classical sense of the definition, although some have. In my opinion, comet West was the last undisputed "great" comet.