As comets orbit in the solar system it is only as they close in on the Sun that they take on the familiar look that we expect comets to have. When comets are far from the Sun comets look like a faint star. Comet hunters spot comets by taking pictures on multiple nights and looking for an object that moves.
Given below is a list of Comets that are presently visible and the date on which they are closest to the sun, this is the date around which they will be at their brightest and most interesting.
| Comet name | Date at which the comet is closest to the sun (perihelion) | Description/ useful information |
| 29p/ schwassmann-wachmann | June 7 2004 | Normally extremely faint experiences occasional outburst in brightness, it has no tail |
| C/2001 Q4 (neat) | May 2004 | Should become visible to the naked eye during 2004 |
| 73p/ schwassmann-wachmann | June 7 2006 | On the 13 of May 2006 the comet will pass 0.0735 au from Earth (the moon is at 0.0026 au) as the comet has already split into 3 smaller parts it is not known if the comet will still exist. There is the possibility that the broken comet might cause a meteor storm as it did over 1930 in one of its pervious passes. |