Comets
4072 TRACKEDIce and dust on long orbits, growing a tail only when the Sun gets close enough to boil them.
RANKED LISTS
PRIMER — 60 SECONDS
Why the tail points away from the Sun
It is not trailing behind the motion — solar wind and radiation pressure push it directly away from the Sun, so an outbound comet flies tail-first.
[
THE FAMOUS ONES
] 5 ENTRIESALL CLASSESPARABOLIC COMET · 1763JUPITER-FAMILY COMET · 846COMET · 731HYPERBOLIC COMET · 520HALLEY-TYPE COMET · 111ENCKE-TYPE COMET · 79CHIRON-TYPE COMET · 22
273P/Pons-Gambart
Halley-type comet
—
32.83 AU · Sun
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—
274P/Tombaugh-Tenagra
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.364 AU · Sun
—
—
275P/Hermann
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.765 AU · Sun
—
—
276P/Vorobjov
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.326 AU · Sun
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—
277P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.858 AU · Sun
—
—
278P/McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.7 AU · Sun
—
—
279P/La Sagra
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.575 AU · Sun
—
—
27P/Crommelin
Halley-type comet
—
9.093 AU · Sun
—
—
280P/Larsen
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.513 AU · Sun
—
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281P/MOSS
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.856 AU · Sun
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—
283P/Spacewatch
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.134 AU · Sun
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—
284P/McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.673 AU · Sun
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—
285P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.509 AU · Sun
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—
286P/Christensen
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.115 AU · Sun
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—
287P/Christensen
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.168 AU · Sun
—
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289P/Blanpain
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.045 AU · Sun
—
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28P/Neujmin 1
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.965 AU · Sun
—
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290P/Jager
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.103 AU · Sun
—
—
291P/NEAT
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.55 AU · Sun
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—
292P/Li
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.135 AU · Sun
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—
293P/Spacewatch
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.639 AU · Sun
—
—
294P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
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3.203 AU · Sun
—
—
295P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.346 AU · Sun
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296P/Garradd
Jupiter-family comet
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3.503 AU · Sun
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—
297P/Beshore
Encke-type comet
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3.484 AU · Sun
—
—
298P/Christensen
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.49 AU · Sun
—
—
299P/Catalina-PANSTARRS
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.385 AU · Sun
—
—
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.046 AU · Sun
—
—
2P/Encke★
Encke-type comet
—
2.22 AU · Sun
—
—
300P/Catalina
Jupiter-family comet
—
2.699 AU · Sun
—
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301P/LINEAR-NEAT
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.687 AU · Sun
—
—
302P/Lemmon-PANSTARRS
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.272 AU · Sun
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303P/NEAT
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.073 AU · Sun
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304P/Ory
Jupiter-family comet
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3.244 AU · Sun
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—
305P/Skiff
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.646 AU · Sun
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—
306P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.105 AU · Sun
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—
307P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.807 AU · Sun
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308P/Lagerkvist-Carsenty
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.675 AU · Sun
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309P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
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4.447 AU · Sun
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30P/Reinmuth 1
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.771 AU · Sun
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310P/Hill
Jupiter-family comet
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4.162 AU · Sun
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311P/PANSTARRS
Encke-type comet
—
2.189 AU · Sun
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312P/NEAT
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.459 AU · Sun
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313P/Gibbs
Encke-type comet
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3.162 AU · Sun
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314P/Montani
Jupiter-family comet
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7.275 AU · Sun
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315P/LONEOS
Jupiter-family comet
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5.023 AU · Sun
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316P/LONEOS-Christensen
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.327 AU · Sun
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317P/WISE
Jupiter-family comet
—
2.957 AU · Sun
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318P/McNaught-Hartley
Jupiter-family comet
—
7.53 AU · Sun
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319P/Catalina-McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.573 AU · Sun
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31P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 2
Jupiter-family comet
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4.243 AU · Sun
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320P/McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
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3.102 AU · Sun
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321P/SOHO
Jupiter-family comet
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2.427 AU · Sun
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322P/SOHO
Jupiter-family comet
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2.516 AU · Sun
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323P/SOHO
Jupiter-family comet
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2.582 AU · Sun
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323P/SOHO-B
Jupiter-family comet
—
2.888 AU · Sun
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323P/SOHO-C
Jupiter-family comet
—
2.61 AU · Sun
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324P/La Sagra
Encke-type comet
—
3.094 AU · Sun
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325P/Yang-Gao
Jupiter-family comet
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3.406 AU · Sun
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326P/Hill
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.069 AU · Sun
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327P/Van Ness
Jupiter-family comet
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3.563 AU · Sun
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328P/LONEOS-Tucker
Jupiter-family comet
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4.204 AU · Sun
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329P/LINEAR-Catalina
Jupiter-family comet
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5.189 AU · Sun
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32P/Comas Sola
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.499 AU · Sun
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330P/Catalina
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.59 AU · Sun
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331P/Gibbs
Encke-type comet
—
3.005 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami
Encke-type comet
—
3.087 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-A
Encke-type comet
—
3.086 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-B
Encke-type comet
—
3.083 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-C
Encke-type comet
—
3.086 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-D
Encke-type comet
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3.084 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-E
Encke-type comet
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3.088 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-F
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.158 AU · Sun
—
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-G
Encke-type comet
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3.063 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-H
Encke-type comet
—
3.086 AU · Sun
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332P/Ikeya-Murakami-I
Encke-type comet
—
3.084 AU · Sun
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333P/LINEAR
Jupiter-family comet
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4.22 AU · Sun
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334P/NEAT
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.488 AU · Sun
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335P/Gibbs
Jupiter-family comet
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3.588 AU · Sun
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336P/McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.813 AU · Sun
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337P/WISE
Jupiter-family comet
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3.288 AU · Sun
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338P/McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.903 AU · Sun
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339P/Gibbs
Jupiter-family comet
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3.676 AU · Sun
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33P/Daniel
Jupiter-family comet
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4.024 AU · Sun
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340P/Boattini
Jupiter-family comet
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4.237 AU · Sun
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341P/Gibbs
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.293 AU · Sun
—
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342P/SOHO
Jupiter-family comet
—
3.043 AU · Sun
—
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343P/NEAT-LONEOS
Jupiter-family comet
—
5.475 AU · Sun
—
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344P/Read
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.887 AU · Sun
—
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345P/LINEAR
Encke-type comet
—
4.046 AU · Sun
—
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346P/Catalina
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.482 AU · Sun
—
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347P/PANSTARRS
Jupiter-family comet
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3.609 AU · Sun
—
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348P/PANSTARRS
Encke-type comet
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3.169 AU · Sun
—
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349P/Lemmon
Encke-type comet
—
3.571 AU · Sun
—
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34D/Gale
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.944 AU · Sun
—
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350P/McNaught
Encke-type comet
—
4.085 AU · Sun
—
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351P/Wiegert-PANSTARRS
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.44 AU · Sun
—
—
352P/Skiff
Jupiter-family comet
—
6.598 AU · Sun
—
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353P/McNaught
Jupiter-family comet
—
4.166 AU · Sun
—
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354P/LINEAR
Encke-type comet
—
2.29 AU · Sun
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