As you might guess, a comet in an orbit near the Sun might crash into one of the planets or even the Sun itself. On the other hand, the powerful gravitational force of the Sun could fling a comet out of the Solar System altogether. Many comets are discovered by amateur astronomers. The most famous comet is Comet Halley . In 1997, there was Comet Hale-Bopp .
Comets affect Earth.
For instance, meteor shower sometimes occur as the Earth passes through the orbit of a comet. In fact, some meteor showers occur with regularity. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year between August 9 and 13 as the Earth passes thru the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Similarly, Comet Halley is the source of the Orionid shower in October. Comets are brightest to persons looking out from Earth when they are near the Sun, which makes them visible at sunrise or sunset.