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Loading contentWhat makes comets visible is shown as reference, with links to notable comets in the encyclopedia. Currently-visible comets and their (notoriously unpredictable) brightness are prepared for integration.
A comet brightens as it nears the Sun and its ices vaporise, forming a glowing coma and one or more tails. Most comets need a telescope; only occasionally does one become a naked-eye 'great comet'. Predicting a comet's brightness is notoriously uncertain.
Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.
Designations and orbits of asteroids, comets, and minor bodies.