Some other comets throughout history have been remarkably bright and impressive. Comet West was particularly impressive back in 1976, but most people missed it due to the disappointing Comet Kohoutek. Hale-Bopp was a fairly bright comet in 2005. Here is an image of comet McNaught, visible in the southern hemisphere in early 2007. By the way, how do comets get their names? Comets are much more common than most people realize. On any given night, there may be a half-dozen visible in a small pair of binoculars. One only needs to know where to look. You may have seen a bright comet some time ago but may not be sure of the name. Here is a reference on the most easily observable comets of history. When will the next bright comet show up? No one can say for sure. However, it may be soon. What is the physical nature of comets?