I seen one once when I was little. When will I see another...I live in arkansas?
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Yes. I have seen a few.
I was to young and not yet interested in astronomy in 1986 when Comet Halley last made it's journey to the inner solar system.
In the mid-late 1990s, I had the pleasure of seeing to bright naked eye comets, Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp.
Just a few years ago, the surprising out-gassing of Comet Holmes made for a third naked eye comet visible in my back yard.
Add to that, maybe a dozen or so other comets I have seen with binoculars or my telescope, and I can say I've seen a fair amount. Comet observing is not my biggest passion with observational astronomy, but I don't pass up a chance when a really good one comes along.
Periodic comets are predictable, but no major ones are expected to come by anytime soon. On the plus side, comets behave very unpredictably as far as their brilliance is concerned. A new one could be discovered tomorrow, that will outshine any other comet ever recorded... then again, you might have to wait a few decades. Even occasionally known comets brighten (Comet Holmes mentioned above), from time to time, we just don't really know a whole lot about them... even today.
So if you are looking for a bright comet to dazzle the night sky, it could be decades or even centuries. Adding binoculars or a small telescope to your arsenal would allow you to see one or two almost every year, although the 'impressiveness' is in the eye of the beholder.
I was to young and not yet interested in astronomy in 1986 when Comet Halley last made it's journey to the inner solar system.
In the mid-late 1990s, I had the pleasure of seeing to bright naked eye comets, Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp.
Just a few years ago, the surprising out-gassing of Comet Holmes made for a third naked eye comet visible in my back yard.
Add to that, maybe a dozen or so other comets I have seen with binoculars or my telescope, and I can say I've seen a fair amount. Comet observing is not my biggest passion with observational astronomy, but I don't pass up a chance when a really good one comes along.
Periodic comets are predictable, but no major ones are expected to come by anytime soon. On the plus side, comets behave very unpredictably as far as their brilliance is concerned. A new one could be discovered tomorrow, that will outshine any other comet ever recorded... then again, you might have to wait a few decades. Even occasionally known comets brighten (Comet Holmes mentioned above), from time to time, we just don't really know a whole lot about them... even today.
So if you are looking for a bright comet to dazzle the night sky, it could be decades or even centuries. Adding binoculars or a small telescope to your arsenal would allow you to see one or two almost every year, although the 'impressiveness' is in the eye of the beholder.
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I got to see the comet Hale-Bopp. I was 14 I think. It was spectacular as it remained in the sky for a couple of days. No one aside from my neighbor cared. He let me see the comet through his telescope. The next comet thats coming our way is Elanin. I don't know whether you'd be able to see it in kansas, nor am I sure whether it will be visible to the naked eye.