As the comet approached the Sun , it continued to brighten , shining at 2nd magnitude in February , and showing a growing pair of tails , the blue gas tail pointing straight away from the Sun and the yellowish dust tail curving away along its orbit . On March 9 , a solar eclipse in China , Mongolia and eastern Siberia allowed observers there to see the comet in the daytime . Hale – Bopp had its closest approach to Earth on March 22 , 1997 , at a distance of 1.315 AU
solar eclipse
Solar eclipse of March 9, 1997
Comet Hale–Bopp