Orbits of Short and Long-Period Comets

Short-Period Comets

Short-period comets, also known as periodic comets, have orbits that take them around the Sun in less than 200 years.
These comets are often confined to the plane of the Solar System, suggesting that they originate from the Kuiper Belt.
Famous short-period comets include Halley’s Comet, which returns to the inner Solar System every 76 years.
These comets follow fairly predictable paths and have been observed and recorded over several orbits.

Long-Period Comets

Long-period comets are those with orbits that take more than 200 years to complete. Some may even take thousands, or millions, of years for a single orbit.
Unlike short-period comets, the orbits of long-period comets are not confined to the plane of the Solar System.
These comets come from the far reaches of the Solar System, from an area known as the Oort Cloud.
Due to their long orbital period, long-period comets can only be observed once in a human lifespan.

Orbital Paths

Comets usually have highly elliptical orbits. This means that their distance from the Sun greatly varies throughout their orbit.
When a comet gets closer to the Sun, it heats up and releases gases in a process known as outgassing. This creates a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes a tail.
The tail of a comet always points away from the Sun, regardless of the direction of the comet’s movement.
The path of a comet can be altered by the gravitational pull of planets it passes, a phenomenon known as a gravitational slingshot.

Understanding cometary orbits can be useful for predicting when they can be observed from Earth. Remember, short-period comets are more likely to be seen more than once in a lifetime due to their shorter orbital periods.