What is the difference between a comet and shooting star?

Answer 1

A comet orbits the sun. Comets can sometimes be seen from earth as bright objects in the sky but they do not enter the earth's atmosphere. A shooting star is another expression for a meteor, a piece of something falling from space into the earth's atmosphere and creating a visible trail.

Answer 2

A shooting star is actually not a star at all. What we identify as shooting stars are actually small meteors entering Earth's atmosphere. As they travel through the atmosphere at 10s of thousands of miles per hour, they heat up and incinerate, creating the light you see. Most last just a few moments. A comet is a frozen chunk of dust and gas left over from the formation of our solar system. Most comets come from the outer solar system, well beyond the orbit of Neptune. As they get closer to the sun, they heat up, causing gas and dust to trail behind the comet, creating the tail that we can see from Earth.

Answer 3

A comet is a celestial body made of ice, dust, and rock that orbits the Sun, often leaving a tail of gas and dust as it approaches. A shooting star, on the other hand, is a meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up, creating a quick streak of light in the sky.

Answer 4

a shooting star is a hot gas gliding through the air. a comet is a big piece of rock