1996 – Comet Hyakutake Discovered (UTM. local Jan 31). Earth Closest Approach: March 25, 1996 07:00 UT (0.10 AU)  Sun Closest Approach: May 1, 1996 09:31 UT (0.23 AU) 1 AU = 93 Million Miles = 150 Million Kilometers

I don’t care about the naming of the comet. If many people could enjoy that comet, that is the happiest thing for me.
– Yuji Hyakutake

1964 – Ranger 6, a robotic lunar probe, was launched to obtain the first close-up TV images of the Moon’s surface. However, it’s cameras failed and on February 2, 1964, 65.5 hours after launch, it impacted the Moon on the eastern edge of the Sea of Tranquility.

Birthdays

1941 – Gregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is professor emeritus at the department of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. He is a contributing editor of Reason magazine.

1970 – Kimiya Yui, Japanese astronaut. In November 2016, Yui became Chief of the JAXA Astronaut Corps. He was a member of Expedition 44/45