Now, the arrival of a comet into the inner
Solar System is typically heralded with great fanfare and high hopes that the comet will become
bright and
photogenic.

But on the way out, the
comet's nucleus is less warmed by
the Sun,
less gas and dust are
expelled, the bright
coma around the
nucleus shrinks and fades, and the
tail length drops off.

Many comets will then return to the
outer Solar System and only return in hundreds or thousands of years.

In contrast, some comets -- like Comet
C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) -- receive a
gravitational kick from the planets and so will never return.

Pictured,
Comet R3 PanSTARRs
was imaged deeply many nights in early to mid-May
near Cerro Paranal in
Chile.

Later images appear closer to the top and clearly show the shrinking
ion tail.