Comet Hyakutake (Japanese: 百武彗星 Hyakutake suisei ; formally designated C/1996 B2) is a comet discovered on January 30, 1996, which passed very close to Earth in March of that year. It was dubbed The Great Comet of 1996; its passage near the Earth was one of the closest cometary approaches of the previous 200 years. Hyakutake appeared very bright in the night sky and was widely seen around the world. The comet temporarily upstaged the much anticipated Comet Hale-Bopp,… (More on Hyakutake)