In this thesis I present characteristics of comet orbits. In the beginning I will introduce relevant astronomical observations, basics of celestial mechanics and six elements of Kepler orbits. Then I will describe how only a few observations can be used to determine orbital parameters of observed comet. Although I will mostly concentrate on orbits it is still important to know what comets are, their structure and how their orbits depend on their origin which may be either in Kuiper Belt or in Oort Cloud. Orbit of a comet may not be constant, as there are other massive celestial bodies apart from the Sun which may be influencing it, so I will devote a few words to explain these perturbations. Finally, I will discuss statistical properties of orbits of known short period and long period comets which suggest their origin and their recent perturbations by other bodies in the Solar system and beyond.
|