What is a Comet?
By: Isabella Vorhees
"Comet Lovejoy: How You Can See Glowing Green Comet with Naked Eye." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Web. 31 May 2015.
Question: What is a Comet?
noun, Astronomy
"A celestial body moving about the sun, usually in a high eccentric orbit, consisting of a central mass surrounded by an envelope of dust and gas that may form a tail that streams away from the sun."Famous Comets
Comet Hale-Bopp
In January 1997 it made its closest approach to Earth for 4,000 years. The last time it was seen near Earth was during the Bronze age in 2,000 BC.
Comet Swift-Tuttle
This comet takes 133 years to orbit the sun once. The last time it was closest to the sun was in 1992 and it is predicted to return again in 2125. It is a large comet, with a nucleus of 26 km (16 miles) across. That would mean that it is more than twice the size of the object that is thought to have led to the end of dinosaurs.
Comet Hyakutake
This comet created a spectacular comet display for 20 years. It passed just 15 million km from Earth in March 1996. This was the closest the comet came to the Sun in 9,000 years. It also produced X-rays 100 times more intense than predicted.
Halley's Comet
This is the most famous of all comets. Edmund Halley was a British astronomer, and the first to realize that comets are periodic. He correctly predicted that the comet would return in 1757.
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 broke into 21 peices under the stresses of Jupiter's gravity in 1992. As it slammed into the giant planet of Jupiter in 1994 the show was watched by telescopes across Earth.
Comet Encke
This comet was discovered by German Astronomer Johann Franz Encke. In 1819 it was the second comet discovered to be periodic. This comet is the parent body of the annual Taurid meteor shower. This occurs in October and November. It now gives off little gas and is relatively old.
Citations
Citations of Photos
Comet Hale-Bopp
"Comet Hale-Bopp." Home Page (JPL). Web. 31 May 2015.
Comet Swift-Tuttle
"109P/Swift-Tuttle: Overview." Solar System Exploration. Web. 31 May 2015.
Comet Hyakutake
"C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)." C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake). Web. 31 May 2015.
Halley's Comet
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9
"Comet Shoemaker-Levy Collision with Jupiter." Comet Shoemaker-Levy Homepage (JPL). Web. 31 May 2015.
Comet Encke
"2P/Encke." 2P/Encke. Web. 31 May 2015.
Citations of Websites
- "Famous Comets!" Famous Comets! Web. 31 May 2015.
- "Top 10: Comets." New Scientist. Web. 31 May 2015.
- "109P/Swift-Tuttle: Overview." Solar System Exploration. Web. 31 May 2015.
- "Comets." Facts, Pictures and Information. Web. 31 May 2015.
- "Comets: Facts About The 'Dirty Snowballs' of Space." Space.com. Web. 31 May 2015.