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I think it is cause they have different orbiting periods...for example, Halley's Comet takes 76 years to complete one revolution, but other comet's may take a longer or shorter amount of time. We will obviously see the comets with a shorter orbiting period more often.
Comets do not come once a year. In fact no comet comes once a year. Of the ones that return, all have different orbital periods, all longer than a year and usually much longer. The others make only one pass through the solar system and never return.
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Halley's Comet, for example, is a "short period" comet, returning every 76 years or so. Other comets, like Hale-Bopp, have much longer periods. Hale-Bopp was probably first seen 4500 years ago, and won't be visible again for about 2500 years.
Because human astronomical records are neither accurate nor complete for longer than about 400 years ago, we do not have any catalog of long-period comets.
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Here is an animation of the famous Comet Halley's orbit.
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es2706/es2706page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization
Because ices and volatile materials evaporate when it's hot and the 'tail' appears . There are actually 2 tails. One is ionised gas and the other is
made of small "dust" particles.
Comets are relatively small, only approach the sun once in a very long time during their orbits, and often are not close to Earth when they do so.
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Which of these always contains ice meteors asteroids or comets?
Comets
Where do short and long period comets come from?
Short period comets are thought to originate in the Kuiper Belt, outside the orbit of Neptune.Long period comets originate in the Oort Cloud, which is far more distant, about half way to the nearest star!Comets, as with any astronomical body, can have its orbit perturbed (changed) by external gravitational forces. Long period comets can become short period and vice versa. The orbits can range from a few tens of years to many thousands, some can even escape altogether.
Which celestial objects usually has a tail?
None. Comets have a tail, but that's not "usually", only when they are close to the Sun (which is when we see them, of course). Most of the time, when they are far away from the Sun, they have no tail. The tail is caused by the solar wind.
When was Houston Comets created?
Houston Comets was created in 1997.
When did Houston Comets end?
Houston Comets ended in 2008.
Why do you rarely see comets?
Comets spend the majority of their time in the far reaches of our solar system, where they are not easily visible from Earth. They only become visible when they enter the inner solar system and are illuminated by the Sun, hence their rare appearances. Additionally, many comets have long orbital periods, further contributing to their infrequent sightings.
Why do you only see comets every few years?
they tend to move past in routines orbiting our solar system or our galaxy in about 70 years
Can wee see comets only when its near earth?
Yes, because comets are so tiny and dim.
What comets would you see on a trip from Earth to Titan?
That will depend on when you make the trip. There are MANY comets detected each year, although only a few become bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, and very few are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye from bright city lights. We typically detect comets when they are about a year out from the Sun, although a flurry of smaller "Sun-diving" comets were detected only hours before they fell into the Sun in December, 2010.
Can you ever see comets with your own eyes only?
Yes,when they are close enough to Earth and it is clear out.
How can you see comets?
TELESCOPE
Do comets and meteors both orbit the sun?
no only comets.
Why do few comets pass near earth?
More do then we think, but many we aren't able to see. Ones like Haley Bop you could see with a good telescope.
What are the comets name?
See related link for a list of periodic and non periodic comets.
When see comets?
when your balls drop
Why can't you see comets in the night sky all of the time?
Because there aren't always comets!
Are comets smaller than a grain of sand?
No. Comets are usually a few thousand feet to a few miles wide. An object smaller than a sand grain would not be visible in space.Meteors which enter the earth's atmosphere are often sand grain sized, but the once we can see are usually from pebble sized objects.
