Why do you only see a few comets?

Answer 1

difference between comets and meteorsa meteor is a rock or piece of space debris that enters the earths atmosphere and usually burns up before reaching the ground. also known as a shooting star. a comet is usually larger and i think composed of rocks and ice. comets follow an orbit created by the gravity of the sun mostly and maybe affected by the planets on a smaller scale. different comets pass within the view of the earths inhabitants at various intervals based on their orbit or elliptical path. like haleys comet...every 76 years it swings by earth, leaves, and travels on a similar oval or roundish path through the solar system and eventually passes us again. i think its 76 years anyway. hope i helped............Lisa

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

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

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

Because it flies through the sky and burns up and either gets destroyed or lands on Earth. The next time you see a meteor it is a completely different one.