Comets, Asteroids, & Meteoroids

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What is a comet?

Back

A comet is a small celestial body made of ice, dust, and rocky material that, when passing close to the sun, heats up and releases gases, forming a glowing coma and sometimes a tail.

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What is the coma of a comet?

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The coma is the bright cloud of gas and dust that surrounds the nucleus of a comet when it approaches the sun.

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What is the difference between a meteoroid and a meteor?

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A meteoroid is a small rock or particle from space, while a meteor is the streak of light produced when a meteoroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere.

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What is a meteorite?

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A meteorite is a meteoroid that survives its passage through the atmosphere and lands on the surface of a planet or moon.

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What is the Kuiper Belt?

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The Kuiper Belt is a region of the solar system beyond Neptune, populated with small icy bodies, including many comets.

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What is an asteroid?

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An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the sun, primarily found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

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What is the significance of a meteorite's impact?

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A meteorite's impact can create craters on the surface of a planet or moon.

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What are the two types of comet tails?

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The two types of comet tails are the ion tail, which is made of charged particles, and the dust tail, which is made of dust and debris.

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What is the difference between the ion tail and the dust tail of a comet?

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The ion tail points directly away from the sun and is made of ionized gases, while the dust tail curves and is made of larger particles.

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What is the Oort Cloud?

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The Oort Cloud is a theoretical cloud of icy bodies believed to surround the solar system, thought to be the source of long-period comets.