Read an article recently on comet hunting. It had very good tips for how to chart them and photograph (digital cameras are wonderful for amateur astronomers). Of course the hardest part is actually finding one!
Back in early 2007 the beauty featured up there in the video appeared but was almost solely visible in the southern hemisphere. I've had a picture of it as my computer background for the past couple of years. Uh, this one:
If I recall, it was the brightest since the 70's. The curved tail is especially impressive.
How long until the next one? It's really tough to say. While some comets make regular appearances, it's tough to tell how good they'll look ahead of time. You might remember that Halley failed the hype back in '86. We usually get a good one every decade or so though even that is somewhat randomized.
There are smaller ones on a very regular basis. If you live near a dark sky area you can google around for a star-party. Most of them are open to the public and they'd love to show any comets that are out there.
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