A chunk of ice and rock that orbits a star. In our solar system, the majority of comets orbit well beyond Pluto, in regions known as the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. Most comets are no more than a few miles in diameter. Upon close encounters with the Sun, comet ices vaporize, creating a coma, or cloud, around the comet, and a long tail that always points away from the Sun.
Resources
The Solar System: Minor Bodies:
Comets
With the possible exception of Saturn's rings,...
Radio Programs
Watery Earth
Raining on the young planet Earth
Monday, January 9, 2012
Jean-Louis Pons
The champion of all comet hunters
Friday, December 23, 2011
Leonid Meteors
A faint but steady meteor shower
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Comet Elenin
A close encounter with comet dust
Friday, October 14, 2011
Star Travels
A fanciful design for a starship
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Halley's Armada
An armada takes aim at Halley's Comet
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Comet Encounter
Returning to the scene of a wreck
Monday, February 14, 2011
Leonid Meteors
Enjoying an astronomical light show
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Comet Encore
A gentle encounter with a comet
Thursday, November 4, 2010
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