Famous Comets

Here are some of the most famous comets in history, known for their brightness, long tails, or dramatic appearances near Earth:

1. Halley’s Comet

• Orbital Period: ~76 years

• Last Seen: 1986 | Next Appearance: 2061

• The most well-known comet, visible from Earth since at least 240 BCE. It has been recorded by multiple civilizations and inspired many cultural and scientific observations.

2. Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)

• Discovered: 1995

• One of the brightest comets of the 20th century, visible to the naked eye for over 18 months—an exceptionally long duration.

3. Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3)

• Discovered: March 2020

• Offered a stunning display during the summer of 2020 and was visible without a telescope, even in light-polluted areas.

4. Comet Hyakutake (C/1996 B2)

• Discovered: 1996

• Known for passing very close to Earth and having a spectacularly long tail, stretching across much of the night sky.

5. Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9

• Discovered: 1993

• Gained fame not for its visibility but for colliding with Jupiter in 1994. The impact was observed from Earth and left massive scars in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

6. Comet Encke

• Orbital Period: ~3.3 years

• Has the shortest known orbit of any comet and has been studied for its regular return and connection to meteor showers like the Taurids.

7. Comet Lovejoy

• There are several comets by this name; the most famous one, C/2011 W3, survived a close pass by the Sun and produced bright green light visible from Earth.

8. Comet Swift–Tuttle

• Orbital Period: ~133 years

• The parent body of the Perseid meteor shower, one of the most consistent and spectacular showers each year.