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Small Solar System Body Sun Outgas Coma Tail Solar Radiation Solar Wind Comet Nuclei

Comets are icy small bodies that display a visible coma and sometimes tail when passing close to the Sun due to solar radiation. Comet nuclei range from hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers across and are made of ice, dust, and small rocks. Short-period comets originate from the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, while long-period comets are thought to come from the distant Oort Cloud due to gravitational perturbations from passing stars and the Milky Way.

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Mitzifaye Taotao
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71 views2 pages

Small Solar System Body Sun Outgas Coma Tail Solar Radiation Solar Wind Comet Nuclei

Comets are icy small bodies that display a visible coma and sometimes tail when passing close to the Sun due to solar radiation. Comet nuclei range from hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers across and are made of ice, dust, and small rocks. Short-period comets originate from the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune, while long-period comets are thought to come from the distant Oort Cloud due to gravitational perturbations from passing stars and the Milky Way.

Uploaded by

Mitzifaye Taotao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun,

heats up and begins to outgas, displaying a visible atmosphere or coma, and


sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar
radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei range from
a few hundred metres to tens of kilometres across and are composed of loose
collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. The coma and tail are much larger
and, if sufficiently bright, may be seen from the Earth without the aid of a telescope.
Comets have been observed and recorded since ancient times by many cultures.
Comets have a wide range of orbital periods, ranging from several years to
potentially several millions of years. Short-period cometsoriginate in the Kuiper
belt or its associated scattered disc, which lie beyond the orbit of Neptune. Longperiod comets are thought to originate in the Oort cloud, a spherical cloud of icy
bodies extending from outside the Kuiper belt to halfway to the next nearest star.

Long-period comets are directed towards the Sun from the Oort cloud
by gravitational perturbations caused bypassing stars and the galactic
tide. Hyperbolic comets may pass once through the inner Solar System before being
flung out to interstellar space.

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