Comets are the icy wanderers of the solar system. These chunks of ice, dust and rock come from the cold outer reaches beyond the planets. As a comet approaches the Sun, its ice begins to vaporise, wrapping the nucleus in a glowing coma; the solar wind and radiation pressure shape this into the characteristic tails that can stretch across half the sky. Unlike the fixed stars and nebulae, comets are fleeting visitors – they appear, evolve from night to night, and fade away again. Photographically they pose a special challenge: the comet moves against the stars, so either the stars or the comet’s nucleus must be tracked. This page gathers every comet I have photographed so far. Click into any object to learn more about it and see all the astrophoto posts it appears in.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet discovered on July 21, 1812, by French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons, and it is expected to reach its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on April 21, 2024.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is a long-period comet discovered on May 21, 2017, which reached its closest point to the sun (perihelion) on December 19, 2022.
Comet C/2021 A1 (LEONARD) was a long-period comet discovered on January 3, 2021, which reached its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on January 3, 2022.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long-period comet discovered on March 2, 2022, that reached its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on January 12, 2023, becoming one of the brightest comets observed in recent years.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is a long-period comet discovered on January 9, 2023, that reached its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on September 27, 2024.
Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon is a bright, long-period comet discovered on January 3, 2025, that will reach its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on November 8, 2025, making it a promising and accessible target for astrophotographers due to its potential naked-eye visibility and photogenic tail structure.