Peculiarities of Cometary Light Curves and Outburst Activity

We give an overview of the main results of our works on the revision of cometary light curves and on the search for new patterns and features in the evolution of the integrated brightness of comets as they move in circumsolar space. These works revealed several new, previously unknown phenomena in the integrated-brightness variations and outburst activity of comets. Our results supplement and expand the body of observational data that provides a basis for constructing a model of the cometary nucleus and developing a theory of the cometary evolution.