Comets for Kids

The word "comet" comes from a Greek word meaning _______________.

• wearing long hair

• fire tails

• wearing socks

• long tails of hair

Who was the first to describe comets correctly, with tails of fire?

• Edmund Laney

• Sir Isaac Newton

• Daniel Boone

• Abraham Lincoln

Comets are made up of 3 things. Pick them.

• ice

• dust

• frozen particles

• rock

What is NOT one of the 3 main parts of a comet?

• nucleus

• coma

• heart

• tails

The gas tail always points away from the ___.

A comet's tail may stretch as far as _________ long.

• 6 feet

• 6 miles

• 6 million miles

• 600 feet

A comet's orbit is usually oval in shape. Another name for oval is _________.

• cubed

• round

• elipitcal

• circle

Comets that pass very close to the sun are called ___ grazing comets.

What year did the European space craft, Rosetta, land on a comet for the 1st time ever?

• 2004

• 2010

• 2014

• 2024

Which comet is predicted to return to be seen in 2061, 75 years after it's last viewing?

• Halley's comet

• Edmund's comet

• Comet Encke

• Comet Star