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What Are Comets?

Written By SBL-GRESIK-2016 on Jumat, 01 Juni 2012 | 10.21

 Expert Author Christian Nuesch
Comets are a very unique celestial object similar yet drastically different than any other objects or bodies that appear in space. They consist of a nucleus containing both ice and dust, and when they approach a sun class star they emit a tail of gas and dust particles that streak away from the object they are headed towards or near. They might also provide the presence of a coma, which is a thin, temporary atmosphere that is generated by the prevailing effects of both solar radiation and solar wind. The appearance of comets dates back several thousands, if not millions of years and have often been associated with bad omens and impending doom and destruction.
Like all other celestial bodies, comets have an orbital cycle they adhere to which can encompass a wide range of visible periods, which means that they are only visible from Earth and the naked eye during specific periods when they pass close enough to our planet or our sun. The orbital cycle of comets can range from a few years to hundreds of thousands of years. Comets with a shorter orbital cycle are thought to originate in the Kuiper Belt which lies outside and beyond the orbit of Neptune, while comets with exaggerated or longer orbital cycles are thought to originate from further out in the solar system in what has been referred to as the Oort cloud configuration, a hypothesized celestial object that is said to encompass icy bodies which plunge towards our Sun due in part to gravitational forces from some of our solar systems bigger planets.
Hyperbolic comets are celestial objects that make a single pass through our inner solar system before being hurled out into interstellar space along an escape trajectory. Spiral and elliptical trajectories like those of the planets in our solar system revolve around a central object such as our sun while maintaining a specified distance at different points along the path of orbit. A hyperbolic or escape trajectory does not follow the same laws of space/time travel. The orbital path of celestial objects such as are associated with comets allow for the object to pass significantly closer to the central gravitational field of the solar system before using that force to eject it on a path that will hurl the object out into the deepest regions of that solar system at which point it begins the journey back towards the central figure or sun.
As recently as January of 2011 there were 4,185 known comets within our solar system. On average comets are visible once a year, some are rather small and cannot be seen with the naked eye, while others that are referred to as Great Comets are extremely visible and awe inspiring episodes that light up the night sky. Comets are defined by the appearance of a coma and/or a tail which classifies them separately from asteroids; however small extinct comets can sometimes be confused with an asteroid. The origin of asteroids is thought to be inside the orbit of Jupiter whereas the origin of comets is associated with the outer reaches of the solar system our planet is a part of.
If you're new to the wonderful world of astronomy, or star gazing, a great outset would be Asynx Planetarium Software.
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