This is a list of periodic comets that were numbered by the Minor Planet Center after having been observed on at least two occasions. Their orbital periods vary from 3.2 to 366 years. As of October 2023[update] there are 471 numbered comets (1P–471P).[1] There are 405 Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), 38 Encke-type comets (ETCs), 14 Halley-type comets (HTCs), five Chiron-type comets (CTCs), and one long-period comet (153P). 75 bodies are also near-Earth comets (NECs). In addition, eight numbered comets are principally classified as minor planets – five main-belt comets, two centaurs (CEN), and one Apollo asteroid – and display characteristics of both an asteroid and a comet.
Occasionally, comets will break up into multiple chunks, as volatiles coming off the comet and rotational forces may cause it to break into two or more pieces. An extreme example of this is 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann, which broke into over 50 pieces during its 1995 perihelion.
For a larger list of periodic Jupiter-family and Halley-type comets including unnumbered bodies, see list of periodic comets.