Comets are celestial objects that consist of a nucleus made of ice, dust, and gas, surrounded by a glowing coma and often a tail. They are often referred to as "dirty snowballs" because of their composition. Comets are intriguing astronomical phenomena that have captured human fascination for centuries. Here are some key facts about comets:
Composition: Comets are composed of various ices, including water ice, carbon dioxide ice, methane ice, and ammonia ice, mixed with dust and rocky material. When a comet approaches the Sun, the heat causes these ices to vaporize, creating a glowing coma around the nucleus.
Orbital Paths: Comets follow elongated elliptical orbits around the Sun. Some comets have short orbital periods, returning to the inner solar system in a matter of years, while others have long periods, taking centuries to complete one orbit.
Coma: As a comet approaches the Sun, its ices vaporize and create a glowing cloud of gas and dust called a coma. The coma can be quite large, and it is illuminated by the Sun's light.
Tails: One of the most iconic features of comets is their tails. Comets can develop two types of tails: a dust tail and an ion tail. The dust tail is made up of dust particles that reflect sunlight, while the ion tail is made up of charged particles that are pushed away from the Sun by the solar wind.
