Comet Hale Bopp 1997
From wikipedia:
Comet Hale–Bopp (formally designated C/1995 O1) was perhaps the most widely observed comet of the 20th century and one of the brightest seen for many decades. It was visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months, twice as long as the previous record holder, the Great Comet of 1811.
Hale–Bopp was discovered on July 23, 1995, at a great distance from the Sun, raising expectations that the comet would brighten considerably by the time it passed close to Earth. Although predicting the brightness of comets with any degree of accuracy is very difficult, Hale–Bopp met or exceeded most predictions when it passed perihelion on April 1, 1997. The comet was dubbed the Great Comet of 1997.
This was photographed north of Kingston, Ontario and turned out to be the best comet/photography combination to date.
In hindsite, we did not take nearly enough photos. To have had a digital camera back in 1997!
All we can do now, when we have the cameras, is to wait for another Great Comet!