Comets

4072 TRACKED

Ice and dust on long orbits, growing a tail only when the Sun gets close enough to boil them.

RANKED LISTS

167P/CINEOS — 33.09 km

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.

Where they come from

Short-period comets from the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune; long-period ones from the Oort Cloud, a shell reaching a fair fraction of the way to the nearest star.

[

THE FAMOUS ONES

] 5 ENTRIES

NAME

CLASS

MASS

DISTANCE

MAG

CONSTELLATION

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)★

177.4 AU · Sun

Halley-type comet

17.93 AU · Sun

Jupiter-family comet

3.146 AU · Sun

Encke-type comet

67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko★

Jupiter-family comet

9.92×10¹² kg

3.462 AU · Sun

ALL CLASSES PARABOLIC COMET · 1763 JUPITER-FAMILY COMET · 846 COMET · 731 HYPERBOLIC COMET · 520 HALLEY-TYPE COMET · 111 ENCKE-TYPE COMET · 79 CHIRON-TYPE COMET · 22

P/2013 G1 (Kowalski)

Jupiter-family comet

6.877 AU · Sun

P/2013 G4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.432 AU · Sun

P/2013 J2 (McNaught)

Jupiter-family comet

6.246 AU · Sun

P/2013 N3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.432 AU · Sun

P/2013 N5 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

P/2013 P1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

8.588 AU · Sun

P/2013 R3-A (Catalina-PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

3.033 AU · Sun

P/2013 R3-B (Catalina-PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

3.033 AU · Sun

P/2013 R3 (Catalina-PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

3.033 AU · Sun

P/2013 T1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.868 AU · Sun

P/2013 T2 (Schwartz)

Jupiter-family comet

3.393 AU · Sun

P/2013 W1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.486 AU · Sun

P/2013 YG46 (Spacewatch)

Jupiter-family comet

P/2014 A2 (Hill)

Jupiter-family comet

5.925 AU · Sun

P/2014 C1 (TOTAS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.299 AU · Sun

P/2014 L2 (NEOWISE)

Jupiter-family comet

6.326 AU · Sun

P/2014 L3 (Hill)

Jupiter-family comet

8.171 AU · Sun

P/2014 M4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.814 AU · Sun

P/2014 O3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.546 AU · Sun

P/2014 U4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.485 AU · Sun

P/2014 V1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.414 AU · Sun

P/2014 W4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

6.587 AU · Sun

P/2014 X1 (Elenin)

Jupiter-family comet

6.259 AU · Sun

P/2015 A3 (PANSTARRS)

Halley-type comet

7.482 AU · Sun

P/2015 B1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

9.676 AU · Sun

P/2015 B4 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

8.711 AU · Sun

P/2015 C1 (TOTAS-Gibbs)

Jupiter-family comet

6.611 AU · Sun

P/2015 D6 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.224 AU · Sun

P/2015 K5 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

6.695 AU · Sun

P/2015 M2 (PANSTARRS)

Chiron-type comet

7.203 AU · Sun

P/2015 P4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

6.074 AU · Sun

P/2015 PD229 (Cameron-ISON)

Jupiter-family comet

7.177 AU · Sun

P/2015 Q2 (Pimentel)

Halley-type comet

7.406 AU · Sun

P/2015 R2 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.514 AU · Sun

P/2015 TP200 (LINEAR)

Jupiter-family comet

7.298 AU · Sun

P/2015 W2 (Catalina)

Jupiter-family comet

P/2015 X3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.024 AU · Sun

P/2015 X6 (PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

2.755 AU · Sun

P/2016 A3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.727 AU · Sun

P/2016 A7 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.023 AU · Sun

P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

2.583 AU · Sun

P/2016 P1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.229 AU · Sun

P/2016 P5 (COIAS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.705 AU · Sun

P/2016 R4 (Gibbs)

Jupiter-family comet

5.335 AU · Sun

P/2016 WM48 (Lemmon)

Halley-type comet

8.195 AU · Sun

P/2017 D1 (Fuls)

Jupiter-family comet

4.803 AU · Sun

P/2017 D4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.423 AU · Sun

P/2017 FL36 (PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

2.929 AU · Sun

P/2017 G1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.641 AU · Sun

P/2017 G2 (PANSTARRS)

Halley-type comet

8.139 AU · Sun

P/2017 K3 (Gasparovic)

Jupiter-family comet

5.573 AU · Sun

P/2017 P1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.864 AU · Sun

P/2017 S8 (PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

2.775 AU · Sun

P/2017 TW13 (Lemmon)

Jupiter-family comet

7.162 AU · Sun

P/2017 U3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.937 AU · Sun

P/2017 W3 (Gibbs)

Jupiter-family comet

7.735 AU · Sun

P/2017 Y3 (Leonard)

Halley-type comet

9.865 AU · Sun

P/2018 A5 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.648 AU · Sun

P/2018 C1 (Lemmon-Read)

Jupiter-family comet

5.576 AU · Sun

P/2018 H2 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.407 AU · Sun

P/2018 L4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.935 AU · Sun

P/2018 P4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

6.657 AU · Sun

P/2018 V5 (Trujillo-Sheppard)

Jupiter-family comet

8.961 AU · Sun

P/2018 VN2 (Leonard)

Jupiter-family comet

4.063 AU · Sun

P/2018 Y2 (Africano)

Jupiter-family comet

7.478 AU · Sun

P/2019 A1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.131 AU · Sun

P/2019 A2 (ATLAS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.733 AU · Sun

P/2019 A3 (PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

3.148 AU · Sun

P/2019 A4 (PANSTARRS)

Encke-type comet

2.613 AU · Sun

P/2019 A6 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.372 AU · Sun

P/2019 B2 (Groeller)

Jupiter-family comet

3.853 AU · Sun

P/2019 GG21 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

7.476 AU · Sun

P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.283 AU · Sun

P/2019 LM4 (Palomar)

Jupiter-family comet

5.718 AU · Sun

P/2019 S2 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.733 AU · Sun

P/2019 S3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.413 AU · Sun

P/2019 T6 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.432 AU · Sun

P/2019 U4 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

P/2019 V2 (Groeller)

Jupiter-family comet

P/2019 W1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

P/2019 X1 (Pruyne)

Jupiter-family comet

6.174 AU · Sun

P/2019 X2 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.643 AU · Sun

P/2020 A4 (PANSTARRS-Lemmon)

Jupiter-family comet

8.208 AU · Sun

P/2020 B4 (Sheppard)

Chiron-type comet

7.974 AU · Sun

P/2020 G1 (Pimentel)

Jupiter-family comet

3.603 AU · Sun

P/2020 K9 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.204 AU · Sun

P/2020 M1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.087 AU · Sun

P/2020 MK4 (PANSTARRS)

Chiron-type comet

P/2020 O3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.662 AU · Sun

P/2020 R5 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.979 AU · Sun

P/2020 S1 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.981 AU · Sun

P/2020 S5 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.048 AU · Sun

P/2020 S7 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

5.024 AU · Sun

P/2020 T3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.517 AU · Sun

P/2020 U2 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

3.777 AU · Sun

P/2020 V3 (PANSTARRS)

Jupiter-family comet

8.362 AU · Sun

P/2020 V4 (Rankin)

Jupiter-family comet

9.342 AU · Sun

P/2020 W1 (Rankin)

Jupiter-family comet

7.193 AU · Sun

P/2020 WJ5 (Lemmon)

Jupiter-family comet

6.017 AU · Sun

P/2020 X1 (ATLAS)

Jupiter-family comet

4.525 AU · Sun