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Confirmed periodic nature of comets, returned as predicted by Edmond Halley using Newtonian mechanics.

One of the most widely observed comets of the 20th century, extremely bright and visible to the naked eye for a record 18 months.

Passed extremely close to Earth, known for its distinct blue ion tail and fast apparent motion in the sky.

Its appearance was thought to be a bad omen and sparked fear; inspired widespread public interest in comets.

First comet observed to be fragmented and collided with Jupiter, providing direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision.

Known for its spectacular curved tail and brightness, it was the first comet to be photographed.

Observations by Tycho Brahe disproved the Aristotelian idea of an unchanging celestial realm, showed comets were beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Spectacularly bright comet with several tails, it broke into multiple pieces during its solar approach.

One of the brightest comets seen in the last millennium, an example of a Kreutz Sungrazer.

Provided a wealth of scientific data, including the identification of carbon chain molecules, which helped understand the chemistry of comets.

Observed to split into two separate fragments; its debris stream is associated with the Bielid meteor shower.

NASA's Deep Space 1 mission conducted the closest flyby of this comet, taking detailed pictures of the comet nucleus.

The parent body of the Perseid meteor shower, it has a nucleus twice the size of the one that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

It has the shortest known orbital period of just over 3 years and the comet is believed to be the source of the Taurid meteor shower.