Astronomers discover about a dozen comets every year. Some of these are new comets that have never been seen before. Others are rediscoveries, comets that were found in the past and then "lost" because no one was keeping track of them. Astronomers have found a total of over 2,000 comets.

When they are far from the Sun, comets are discovered by looking at photographs taken through telescopes. They show up as streaks or as dots that move on different photographs. When a new comet is discovered, it is often named after the people who found it. For example, Comet Hale-Bopp was named after the two astronomers who discovered it, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.

Many comets are found by amateur astronomers, working with their own homemade telescopes. Maybe you will find a comet someday, and it will end up having your name!