Comets

Halley's comet is tiny compared to the moon. The irregularly shaped comet is about about 5 by 10 miles wide while the moon's diameter is over 2000 miles.

Yes, a comet's tail always points away from the sun due to the solar wind. As the comet travels in its orbit, the pressure of the solar wind pushes the gas and dust in the tail away from the sun, creating the iconic tail that points in the opposite direction of the comet's movement.

What DO comet tails originate from? They are formed when the sun causes gas and dust to leave the comet, and are then swept away by solar winds. This is why that no matter which direction a comet is traveling, it's tail is always pointed awY from the sun.

Some comets develop a cloud of hydrogen gas around them when they get close to the sun, due to the sun's radiation breaking apart water molecules in the comet's icy nucleus. This creates a temporary hydrogen cloud known as a coma. Asteroids generally do not have hydrogen clouds since they are composed of rock and metal, lacking the icy material that comets have.

A comet is composed of a nucleus, coma, hydrogen cloud, dust tail, and ion tail. The nucleus is primarily made of ice, dust, and rocky materials. The coma is a cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the nucleus, while the dust and ion tails are made up of dust particles and ions that are released from the nucleus as the comet gets closer to the sun.

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.

When comets come close to the sun, they heat up and release gas and dust, creating a bright tail that is visible from Earth. This process is known as outgassing. The brightness of the comet depends on its size, composition, and proximity to the sun.

The solar wind blows away from the sun in all directions, carrying charged particles and magnetic fields with it.

A comets orbit is considered a cycle because a comet circles back in an elliptical orbit.

The verb is "surrounded."

Halley's Comet is expected to return to Earth's vicinity in the year 2061. It follows a periodic orbit around the sun, coming close to Earth roughly every 76 years. The last time it was visible from Earth was in 1986.

Edmond Halley did not discover Halley's Comet. The comet was actually named after him because he was the first person to calculate its periodicity and predict its return in 1758. The comet has been observed for centuries before Halley made his calculations.

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.'

The thermosphere does not block comets. Comets can enter Earth's atmosphere and reach the surface regardless of the thermosphere.

Asteroids and comets can bring elements and compounds that are not abundant on Earth, such as precious metals. They also carry water and organic molecules, which may have been essential for the development of life on our planet. However, they can also pose a threat if they collide with Earth, leading to potential devastation.

Halley's Comet is expected to return to pass Earth in 2061. It follows a periodic orbit that brings it back approximately every 75-76 years.

That's known as the comet's orbit. Each comet is different - some only taking a few years to complete an orbit, while others can take hundreds of years. The most famous 'Halley's comet' orbits once every 76 years.

Asteroids are categorized into three basic groups: C-type (carbonaceous), S-type (silicaceous), and M-type (metallic). These groups are based on their composition, with each group having distinct characteristics based on the types of materials they are made of.

Assuming you were born on Earth, you would not age on Halley's comet as it does not have the necessary conditions for human life, such as air, water, and a suitable temperature.

Comets are thought to originate from two main regions in the solar system: the Kuiper Belt, located beyond Neptune, and the Oort Cloud, which is much farther out. Comets are made of ice, rock, and organic compounds, and they develop tails when they come close to the sun and start to vaporize.

Yes, Halley's comet orbits the Sun in an elongated elliptical orbit, which means it travels closer to the Sun and then swings far out into space before returning again on its approximately 76-year journey.

Comets are a mix of dust, rock, and ice, while asteroids are primarily made of rock and metal. Comets usually have a tail when they approach the Sun due to the melting of the ice, while asteroids do not have tails.

No, asteroids are rocky, metallic bodies that generally do not have atmospheres or hydrogen clouds surrounding them. Hydrogen clouds are more commonly found in gaseous planets like Jupiter or Saturn.

It will be back again in 2061. The 1986 flyby was a bit of a disappointment. Comet Kohoutek in 1973 was much better, but it won't be back for another 75,000 years.

Shoemaker-Levy 9 had a short period, as it was a comet that was first discovered in 1993 and eventually collided with Jupiter in 1994. The comet had been fragmented by Jupiter's gravity during a previous close approach, leading to its eventual collision with the planet.