How do you know comets are made of mostly ice?

Answer 1

Yes, they are nick-named 'dirty snowballs' and also contain rocks. What you see as the comet's tail is the ice melting because of the sun. When the comet returns to outer space the tail is no longer present. Gradually, the comets reduce in size because of this melting.

Answer 2

Comets are known to be made mostly of ice because when they come close to the sun, the heat causes the ice on their surface to vaporize and form a characteristic glowing tail of gas and dust. This process, called outgassing, is a key indicator that comets contain significant amounts of ice. Additionally, studies of cometary material collected by spacecraft have confirmed the presence of ice and other volatiles.

Answer 3

It was generally thought for years by astronomers that comets were "mostly" ices. Today, based on newer information from the probes that have had close encounters with the cometary nucleii, they think "mostly ices" is overstating it. All comets contain a great deal of water ice, and other ices - this is easily proven spectroscopically. But today it is believed that they may have just as much - or more - solids as ices in their makeup.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Yes. Some from collisions (normal) and some from internal explosions of volatile gasses.

Answer 6

Technically, yes. Comets do have water in them. In fact, they are really just rock, dust, water ice, and frozen gases. Consider it, quite simply, a dirty snowball.

Answer 7

Most likely there are least some comets with water ice in them. Maybe some contain frozen methane. I wonder if that would be called, "Ice."

Answer 8

NO because comets are usually small or smaller that the moon. And comets have a hot surface.

Answer 9

Yes comets have water but its not in liquid form, its frozen as ice.

Answer 10

maybe who know