long period comet
No, they are not. They come from regions of asteroids that exist within our own solar system. Long period comets, the ones that appear once in thousands of years, probably come from the Oort Cloud, a spherical cloud of small icy asteroids believed to exist at the farthest outer reaches of the solar system. Short period comets like Halley's probably come from the Kuiper Belt, a ring of asteroids just beyone Neptune's orbit. The minor planet Pluto is the most famous Kuiper object. Not all objects in the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt are comets; in fact most are not.
It is challenging to predict which comets will be visible from Earth by 2100, as new comets are discovered regularly. However, some of the periodic comets that are expected to return within this timeframe include Comet Halley (2061), Comet Hale-Bopp (c. 4385), and Comet Swift-Tuttle (2126).
Comas form around comets when they approach the Sun and heat causes volatile compounds within the comet to vaporize and escape, creating a surrounding cloud of gas and dust. This process is known as outgassing, and it gives comets their characteristic glowing halo.
The original of our solar system could be locked within a comet.
Yes, as long as an asteroid is within visible distance of earth.
no, comets do not orbit Earth. If comets did orbit Earth, it would be Earths Moon's, but comets orbit the kuiper belt at the edge of the Solar System. Some times comets hit each other and get knocked out of their orbit and possibly hit a planet.
Absolutely. You can see comets pretty much anywhere they pass between Venus and Mars, when they are opposite the sun from us. On the day side sunlight obliterates them from view. Hyukatake and Hale-Bopp were two prominent comets within the past twenty years. Beyond Jupiter they are much harder to see, both because there is much less outgassing and because of their relative size. Such comets are typically found only in fairly large telescopes.
A meteorode is a small particle of debris within our solar system. When the meteoroid enters our atmosphere is becomes a meteor. If it then lands on the earth it becomes a meteorite. Comets on the other hand are larger and are associated with a visible tail.
Comets are fascinating celestial objects that often symbolize change and transformation due to their unpredictable orbits and bright appearances. Many cultures throughout history have viewed comets as omens or messages from the cosmos. Scientifically, they are important for understanding the early solar system, as they contain primitive materials from its formation. Personally, I believe they inspire curiosity and wonder about the universe and our place within it.
Comets, asteroids, and meteoroids are all celestial bodies within our solar system, but they differ in composition and origin. Comets are primarily made of ice, dust, and rocky materials, often developing tails when they approach the Sun; they originate from the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud. Asteroids are mostly rocky and metallic, found mainly in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and they generally lack the volatile components that comets have. Meteoroids are smaller fragments, often derived from comets or asteroids, that become meteors when they enter Earth's atmosphere, creating a visible streak of light.
Yes, all comets develop tails when they approach the Sun. The tail forms as the Sun's heat vaporizes the comet's icy nucleus, releasing gas and dust that get pushed away from the comet by solar wind and radiation pressure, creating the characteristic tail.
There are comets around all the time. In order to have this much of a cataclysmic effect, it would need to pass very close to the earth, if not hit it entirely. At the moment, we do not know of any comets on this trajectory.