2007-02-11 17:59:51 · 3 answers · asked by ThaGirl 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Comets are the remainder of the material from which the Solar System was originally made of. Most comets originate from the Oort Cloud, which is a cloud made of comets, debris and other rocky and icy material, beyond the orbit of Neptune.
The name comet is originally from the greek word "kome" which means hair of the head.
Comets have very long and very elliptical orbits. Their luminous tail is due to the icy material on the surface which heats up as the comet approaches the Sun.
2007-02-16 02:44:58 · answer #1 · answered by Tenebra98 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Itself is a minor body composed of rock, dust, and ices.
Most comets are believed to originate in a cloud (the Oort cloud) at large distances from the Sun consisting of debris left over from the condensation of the solar nebula; the outer edges of such nebulae are cool enough that water exists in a solid (rather than gaseous) state. Asteroids originate via a different process, but very old comets which have lost all their volatile materials may come to resemble asteroids.
2007-02-11 18:49:02 · answer #2 · answered by Naixius L 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
dust and ice
2007-02-11 18:08:17 · answer #3 · answered by purpleaura1 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋