13 of the most beautiful and impressive comets ever

1. Great comet of 1680

One of the brightest comets of the 17th century was discovered by German astronomer Gottfried Kirch on November 14, 1680. Reports of the time tell that it was visible even in daylight, especially because of its very long tail.

2. Mrkos

Photographed on August 13, 1957, comet Mrkos impressed astronomers by containing two tails: one straight, made of ions, and one curved, made of dust.

3. Brooks

Discovered in 1911, the Brooks comet has a distinct bluish color resulting from the emission of carbon monoxide ions.

4. Daniel

Comet Daniel, from 1907, was one of the most viewed and photographed of the early 20th century.

5. Lovejoy

Discovered in 2011 by an Australian astronomer, the comet Lovejoy has an orbit that takes it very close to the sun.

6. Bennett

One of the brightest comments of the 1970s, Bennett was discovered in late 1969 by South African amateur astronomer John Bennett Caister.

7. Seki-Lines

This was one of the brightest comments of the entire 20th century, visible mainly in the Southern Hemisphere.

8. McNaught

This great comet was visible to the naked eye in 2007 and was the brightest to be seen in the Southern Hemisphere in 40 years.

9. Hyakutake

The great comet of 1996 was the closest pass to Earth in the last 200 years!

10. West

This was one of the most beautiful and bright comets to pass near Earth in 1976.

11. Ikeya-Seki

Visible even in daylight, this was named as the brightest comet of the 20th century. In Japan, it was said to be 10 times brighter than the full moon.

12. Halley

One of the most famous comets in history, Halley was successful in his passages in 1910 and 1986.

13. Hale-Bopp

Visible for 18 months in 1997, Hale-Bopp is one of the most viewed in history: an estimated 81% of adult Americans have observed it.

***

Have you ever seen a comet? Comment on the Mega Curious Forum