Comets
Did you know that comets are icy travelers that hold clues about the early formation of our solar system?
They are often described as dirty snowballs made of ice, dust, and rock. Their solid core, the nucleus, contains frozen water and gases.
These comets travel in long, elliptical orbits around the Sun. Their journeys take them from the cold outer regions of the solar system to areas near the Sun.
In the cold regions, their ice remains frozen, but as they approach the Sun, heat causes ice to release gas and dust, forming a glowing cloud called a coma around the nucleus and creating a bright tail.
Did you know the comet’s tail always points away from the Sun? This happens because the Sun’s heat and solar wind push the gas and dust from the comet backward. Some comets, like Hale-Bopp, even have two tails: a dust tail and a faint ion tail.
There are billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even farther out in the Oort cloud.
Comets
Comets are icy objects that travel through space in long, elliptical orbits around the Sun. They are composed of ice, dust, and rock, earning them the nickname "dirty snowballs." When a comet approaches the Sun, its ice vaporizes, forming a bright, glowing tail. Scientists study comets because they contain materials from the early solar system, providing clues about how planets and other celestial bodies formed.
Science and Engineering Practice (SEP): Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Scientists use different tools to study comets, like telescopes, space probes, and computer models. They track a comet’s path through space, figure out what it is made of, and watch how it changes as it moves closer to the Sun. By looking at graphs, models, and calculations, they compare data, find patterns, and see how different factors are connected.
Activity Ideas:
- Compare comet orbits - Use an interactive solar system model or an online planetarium tool to see how different comets travel through space. Do their paths change over time? Are some orbits more stretched out than others?
- Investigate comet data - Look at real images and data from comet missions like NASA’s Deep Impact or Rosetta. Compare how different comets look and move. Do they have similar shapes? Do they break apart in the same way?
Crosscutting Concept (CCC): Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Time, space, and energy can be studied at different scales. While comets may appear small in the sky, their tails can stretch for millions of miles. Some take only a few years to orbit the Sun, while others require thousands of years. Scientists use models and computer simulations to study these objects on scales too large to observe directly.
New engineering and technology make it possible for scientists to study comets up close. Space missions like Rosetta have sent spacecraft to comets to collect important data. The information they gather not only helps us learn more about comets and the solar system.
Did you know that comets are icy travelers that hold clues about the early formation of our solar system?
They are often described as dirty snowballs made of ice, dust, and rock. Their solid core, the nucleus, contains frozen water and gases.
These comets travel in long, elliptical orbits around the Sun. Their journeys take them from the cold outer regions of the solar system to areas near the Sun.
In the cold regions, their ice remains frozen, but as they approach the Sun, heat causes ice to release gas and dust, forming a glowing cloud called a coma around the nucleus and creating a bright tail.
Did you know the comet’s tail always points away from the Sun? This happens because the Sun’s heat and solar wind push the gas and dust from the comet backward. Some comets, like Hale-Bopp, even have two tails: a dust tail and a faint ion tail.
There are billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even farther out in the Oort cloud.
Did you know that comets are icy travelers that hold clues about the early formation of our solar system?
They are often described as dirty snowballs made of ice, dust, and rock. Their solid core, the nucleus, contains frozen water and gases.
These comets travel in long, elliptical orbits around the Sun. Their journeys take them from the cold outer regions of the solar system to areas near the Sun.
In the cold regions, their ice remains frozen, but as they approach the Sun, heat causes ice to release gas and dust, forming a glowing cloud called a coma around the nucleus and creating a bright tail.
Did you know the comet’s tail always points away from the Sun? This happens because the Sun’s heat and solar wind push the gas and dust from the comet backward. Some comets, like Hale-Bopp, even have two tails: a dust tail and a faint ion tail.
There are billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even farther out in the Oort cloud.
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