FACT is stranger than fiction! Hale Bopp came closest to Wirral on April 1, when the spectacular moving object was just 85 million miles away.

So the Globe last week opted to devote our traditional April 1 spoof space to Hale Bopp! It is still possible to see Hale Bopp now with the naked eye on a clear night in the North West sky over Liverpool Bay.

Hale Bopp looks like a furry, fuzzy blob with a murky tail, completely different to a star. Hale Bopp was last here in ancient Egyptian times, that is a 'fair-o-way' time ago. So don't miss it! Hale Bopp won't be back for another 2,400 years. And that is no April Fool!

The comet, discovered by astronomers Hale and Bopp, is travelling at 43,000 miles per hour.

Comets are blobs of gas, rock and ice which reflect light from stars. Hale Bopp becomes more visible as it nears our sun. It is thought to come from a region of icy debris called Oort Cloud, about one light year or 9.46 million, million, million kilometres away.

To find the comet, look for the W shaped - W for Wirral Globe five star constellation of Cassiopeia in the North West sky. Look a little below it and there is Hale Bopp, crystal clear!

Reader Mrs D Robertson, who 'Hales' from Radnor Drive, Wallasey, was first to respond to our bake a comet rock cake competition.

She suggests a sponge cake, iced and decorated with silver balls. Place it at the centre of the table with a trail of white meringue, decorated with more silver balls.

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