Comets

Beginning about 1950, the accepted astronomers definition of a comet was a "dirty snowball". That's still not bad, but more recent research has revealed that comets have many more solids and "tholins" (very basic organic compounds) than previously thought. Hence, the "improved" definition of a comet today is a "snowy dirtball".

If a baby has ingested comet cleaner, seek immediate medical attention. Call poison control for guidance and keep the product container for reference. Do not induce vomiting unless advised by a healthcare professional.

A comets orbit is highly eccentric, spending most of its time far out on the edge of the solar system and occasionally coming in closer to the sun. Planets orbits are more regular, closer to a circular orbit.

A comets orbit also crosses the paths of planets, while each of the eight planets have their own orbit and don't cross paths.

A comet does not usually orbit the sun on the same plane as the planets. Each of the planets orbits the sun more or less on the same plane.

Due to the varying distance from the sun, the orbital speed of a comet varies greatly. Closer to the sun it travels quickly, far out on the edge of the solar system it will move much more slowly.

Asteroids vary a lot from one to another - basically, objects less than 10 meters across are called meteorites, larger objects are called asteroids. But they may also be much larger - up to thousands of kilometers in diameter. Similarly, they may have large differences in other aspects.If the asteroid is large (several hundred or thousand kilometers across), you can expect it to have a layered structures - i.e., it would also have a nucleus.

Comets do not catch fire at all, since comets are generally regarded as "dirty snowballs" in space. Their light is caused by the interaction of water vapour and dust particles with the solar wind and no combustion is taking place.

Comets such as this are in long drawn out eccentric orbits around the sun. It is likely that this comet was once in a slow distant orbit around the sun, on the edge of our solar system around the orbit distance of Pluto, or further. It may then have been knocked into it's current orbit through a collision with another object.

A falling star is a meteor. A meteorite is a meteor that has hit the ground.

After many trips around the Sun, the ice in the comet's nucleus has completely vaporized and all that is left is the dust and rock, which are spread throughout the orbit of the original comet.

Shoemaker-Levy 9 was named after the team of scientists who discovered it: Eugene Shoemaker, Carolyn Shoemaker, and David Levy. The "9" refers to the fact that it was the ninth periodic comet discovered by the team.

There would be a huge collision, upsetting the surface and atmosphere of the planet. Since the mass of the comet would be many times smaller than the planet, the planets orbit would not be significantly effected.

In the UK it is illegal to dock a dog's tail unless it will be used for work - and even then the dog will not be allowed in show rings. Some breeders dock puppies in other countries and send them to the UK, but the dog's are still barred from shows.

Particles around a comet usually include dust and gas that are released as the comet approaches the sun. These particles form a glowing cloud called a coma which envelops the nucleus of the comet. As the comet gets closer to the sun, the solar wind pushes on the particles in the coma, creating the tail that points away from the sun.

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.