Question 1

What is a comet?

Accepted Answer

A comet is a big, icy rock that travels around the sun. It's sometimes called a 'dirty snowball' because it is made of ice, dust, and bits of rock.

Question 2

Why do comets have tails?

Accepted Answer

As comets get close to the sun, the heat makes their ice melt and create gas. This gas and dust create a glowing tail that stretches away from the sun.

Question 3

Where do comets come from?

Accepted Answer

Comets come from two places in our solar system called the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. These are regions full of icy bodies orbiting far from the sun.

Question 4

How big are comets?

Accepted Answer

Comets can be as small as a few football fields or as big as a small town. Most comets have a core that's just a few miles across.

Question 5

What are comets made of?

Accepted Answer

Comets are made of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. The ice can be water, or frozen gases like carbon dioxide and ammonia.

Question 6

Do comets burn up in the sky?

Accepted Answer

When a comet gets close to the sun, the heat makes parts of it vaporize, but the whole comet doesn't burn up. This vaporized material creates a bright tail.

Question 7

What is the most famous comet?

Accepted Answer

The most famous comet is probably Halley's Comet. It comes close to Earth about every 76 years and last visited us in 1986.

Question 8

Can we see comets from Earth?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we can see some comets from Earth when they come close to the sun and their tails light up. Sometimes they are bright enough to see with just our eyes!

Question 9

How fast do comets travel?

Accepted Answer

Comets can travel very fast, often at speeds around 30 miles per second. That's many times faster than a jet airplane!

Question 10

What happens when a comet hits the sun?

Accepted Answer

If a comet gets too close to the sun, it can break apart or even be pulled into the sun and destroyed by its heat. This is a rare event!

Question 11

Do comets ever hit Earth?

Accepted Answer

Comets can sometimes hit Earth, but it's very rare. Thanks to the vastness of space, most comets pass by without any danger to us.

Question 12

Why do comets glow?

Accepted Answer

Comets glow because the sun's light reflects off their gas and dust. The gas can also emit its own light when excited by the sun’s energy.

Question 13

What is the nucleus of a comet?

Accepted Answer

The nucleus of a comet is its solid center made of ice and rock. It's usually covered with a dark, dusty layer, like a dirty snowball.

Question 14

What are comet tails made of?

Accepted Answer

Comet tails are made of gas and dust that get released when the comet warms up near the sun. There are usually two tails: one of gas and one of dust.

Question 15

How are comets different from asteroids?

Accepted Answer

Comets are icy and have tails when near the sun, while asteroids are rocky and don’t have tails. Both travel around the sun, but they have different make-ups and behaviors.

Question 16

What is the coma of a comet?

Accepted Answer

The coma is the glowing cloud of gas and dust around a comet's nucleus. It forms when the ice warms up and starts to vaporize as the comet nears the sun.

Question 17

What happens to a comet over time?

Accepted Answer

Each time a comet passes close to the sun, it loses some of its ice and gas. Eventually, it might lose too much and just become a rocky object.

Question 18

How do scientists study comets?

Accepted Answer

Scientists use telescopes to watch comets from Earth and sometimes send spacecraft to take close-up pictures and gather data. This helps us learn more about how comets and our solar system formed.

Question 19

Why are comets important to scientists?

Accepted Answer

Comets are important because they are like time capsules. They tell scientists about the early solar system since they haven’t changed much over billions of years.

Question 20

Can we land on a comet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, humans have landed spacecraft on comets before. In 2014, the Rosetta mission successfully landed a probe on a comet to study it up close!

The Fascinating World of Comets - 20 FAQs Explained Simply