Famous Comets
Famous Comets is a structured science dataset with 17 entries. Its fields include Comet, Designation, Discovered. The source values are preserved as a structured reference table.
Every row is shown below and is also available as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Dataset details
- Table scope
- All 17 rows
- Fields
- 5 columns
- Source
- Community curated
- Data updated
- Apr 9, 2026
Included fields: Comet, Designation, Discovered, Orbital Period, Known For.
The table contains every record in this dataset; the same records are available in each download format.
Preview observations
No reliable range or grouping can be calculated from the loaded rows without interpreting the source data.
Useful for
- Comparing Comet, Designation, and Discovered across science entries
- Building reference tables, charts, or analyses from 17 downloadable records
Comet↕ | Designation↕ | Discovered↕ | Orbital Period↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Halley's Comet | 1P/Halley | Recorded since 240 BC | 76 years | Most famous comet, predicted by Edmond Halley, last seen 1986 |
Hale-Bopp | C/1995 O1 | 1995 by Hale and Bopp | ~2533 years | Great Comet of 1997, visible to naked eye for 18 months |
Shoemaker-Levy 9 | D/1993 F2 | 1993 by Shoemakers and Levy | Captured by Jupiter | Collided with Jupiter in 1994, first observed planetary impact |
NEOWISE | C/2020 F3 | 2020 by NEOWISE telescope | ~6800 years | Brightest comet visible from Northern Hemisphere since Hale-Bopp |
Hyakutake | C/1996 B2 | 1996 by Yuji Hyakutake | ~70,000 years | Great Comet of 1996, passed very close to Earth, huge tail |
Comet McNaught | C/2006 P1 | 2006 by Robert McNaught | ~92,000 years | Great Comet of 2007, brightest in 40 years from Southern Hemisphere |
Comet Lovejoy | C/2011 W3 | 2011 by Terry Lovejoy | ~622 years | Survived passage through Sun's corona, Great Christmas Comet 2011 |
Comet ISON | C/2012 S1 | 2012 by ISON telescope | Nearly parabolic | Disintegrated at perihelion November 2013, hyped as comet of the century |
Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko | 67P/C-G | 1969 by Churyumov and Gerasimenko | 6.45 years | Target of Rosetta mission, Philae lander touched down 2014 |
Comet Tempel 1 | 9P/Tempel | 1867 by Wilhelm Tempel | 5.56 years | Target of Deep Impact mission 2005, impactor excavated crater |
Comet Wild 2 | 81P/Wild | 1978 by Paul Wild | 6.41 years | Stardust mission collected and returned dust samples (2006) |
Comet Holmes | 17P/Holmes | 1892 by Edwin Holmes | 6.88 years | Unprecedented 2007 outburst, briefly largest object in solar system |
Comet Encke | 2P/Encke | 1786 by Pierre Mechain | 3.3 years | Shortest known orbital period for a comet |
Great Comet of 1811 | C/1811 F1 | 1811 by Honore Flaugergues | ~3100 years | Visible to naked eye for 260 days, referenced in Tolstoy's War and Peace |
Great Comet of 1882 | C/1882 R1 | 1882 | ~800 years | Kreutz sungrazer, bright enough to see during the day |
Comet West | C/1975 V1 | 1975 by Richard West | ~250,000 years | Spectacular 1976 display, nucleus fragmented into 4 pieces |
Comet Donati | C/1858 L1 | 1858 by Giovanni Donati | ~2000 years | First comet ever photographed, dramatic curved tail |
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Frequently asked questions
How is Famous Comets organized?
The table starts in the source data's default order. You can sort and filter the loaded rows by the displayed fields.
How much data is available on this page?
This dataset contains 17 entries, and every row is available in the table and in the downloadable files.
Can I download the complete dataset?
Yes. CSV, JSON, and Excel downloads contain all 17 rows. Before republishing the data, review the source and any usage terms listed on this page; dtbse does not replace the original source's licensing terms.
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