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Planets are mostly the same shape: a sphere, albeit a marginally irregular one. They are different sizes by random chance. The size is determined by how much matter and what type was near the object at the start of its life, as a protoplanet.
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago# All man's knowledge of the universe is totally theoretical. # The theoretical orbits of planets, by Einstine's theory, are parabolic. # Comets, have no known orbital center pont, known to man, thus the exact form of their motion through the Cosmos is not yet theorised about.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoPlanets have great mass and the corresponding gravitational field tends to compress the material to a sphere with more force than relatively small comets. Also, comets are made up of significant amounts of ice and volatile matter that when heated vaporize and leaves a Swiss cheese" structure behind. With significant mass this would be consolidated into a ball by gravitational force.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThey're smaller, usually are not round, and don't have moons or other satellites.
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How do the orbits of comets differ from the orbits of most asteroids?
Comets are balls of ice and dust in orbit around the Sun. The orbits of comets are different from those of planets - they are elliptical. A comet's orbit takes it very close to the Sun and then far away again.
A dirty snowball that orbits the sun?
comet
Which is the smallest comets or asteroids or planets or moons?
Any of them because there is no set size for any of them. All of them are classified by different things and none of them are size. A moon orbits a planet, a planet orbits a star in a slightly elliptical orbit, a comet orbits a star in a highly elliptical orbit, and an asteroid is a planet or moon (any celestial object really) that is out of orbit and is flying through the universe a high speeds. For instance, a moon can be bigger than a planet.
Rock liquid or gas that orbits the sun?
A Comet :)
What is an icy mass that orbits the sun called?
An icy mass that orbits the sun is called a comet.
How do the orbit of planets differ from the orbit of moons?
A planet orbits a star. A moon orbits a planet or dwarf planet.
Planet's orbits are nearly circularWhat shape is the comet's?
elliptical in a ovalish shape
Is a comet a moon?
No. A comet orbits a star such as the sun. In order to be a moon it must orbit a planet or some similar body.
Do all planet relove around sun or earth?
Every planet, asteroid and comet in our solar system orbits the sun. The only natural body that orbits Earth is its moon.
How many years does a comet orbits planet earth?
Comets don't or it the earth, they are in long irregular orbits around the sun. These orbits can range from a few years to thousands of years.
How should you answer?
The planet Jupiter orbits the comet Pluto in an ellipse and is visible in the sky every time a shark is caught by crabfishermen.
What do you think would happen if the planets did not have their own orbits?
they would probably collide with a comet, asteroid, the Sun, or another planet.
Can a moon orbit the sun?
No. If an object orbits the sun it is not considered a moon. Depending on its size, composition, and location it may be considered a planet, dwarf planet, asteroid, or comet.
What do you call a body in the solar system that is not a star or a planet?
It depends on what the object is. If it orbits a planet, then it is a moon. If it orbits the sun and is made of rock and/or metal then it is an asteroid or meteoroid depending on its size. If it is primarily made of ice then it is a comet. Dwarf planets are planet-like objects that do not meet all the criteria of a planet.
What did comet halley do?
Halley's Comet orbits around the sun.
Planet 's orbits are nearly circular .what shape is a comet's?
All orbits are geodesic curves. Comets tend to have elliptical orbits ... as do planets, really; the degree of eccentricity (this is a measure of how "stretched" the ellipse is) just tends to be higher for comets.
Is halleys comet part of the solar system?
Yes. Halley's Comet is a comet that orbits our sun, and the definition of "Part of the solar system" is 'Any object that orbits our sun.'
