A comet orbits the Sun in a long egg-shaped path. It can take a comet anywhere from a few years to hundreds of years to orbit the Sun.

    A comet’s orbit takes it far out into space, so we usually don’t see it until it enters Jupiter’s orbit. By this time, the Sun has melted some of the ice, releasing the gases and dust particles. The dust and gases reflect the Suns’s light making the comet visible.