What is comet and give examples

Question

Answer

A comet is a ball of mostly ice that moves around in outer space. Comets are often described as 'dirty snowballs'. ... The orbital inclinations of comets are usually high and not near the ecliptic where most solar system objects are found. Most of them are long-period comets and come from the Kuiper belt.

Comets are basically dusty snowballs which orbit the Sun. They are made of ices, such as water, carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane, mixed with dust. These materials came from the time when the Solar System was formed. Comets have an icy center (nucleus) surrounded by a large cloud of gas and dust (called the coma).

Answer

Comets

Comets are celestial bodies that orbit the sun and are composed of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. They are sometimes referred to as 'dirty snowballs' due to their composition. Comets have a distinct tail that is visible when they get close to the sun.

Examples of Comets

Halley's Comet: This is one of the most famous comets and is visible from Earth every 75-76 years. The last time it was visible was in 1986, and it is expected to be visible again in 2061.

Comet Hale-Bopp: This comet was visible from Earth in 1997 and was one of the brightest comets in recent history. It was visible for over a year and was visible to the naked eye.

Comet NEOWISE: This comet was discovered in March 2020 and was visible from Earth in July 2020. It was visible to the naked eye and was the brightest comet in over a decade.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: This comet was visited by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft in 2014. The spacecraft studied the comet for over two years and collected data on its composition and structure.

Characteristics of Comets

Comets have several distinct characteristics that make them unique:

Tail: Comets have a distinct tail that is visible when they get close to the sun. The tail is made up of gas and dust particles that are blown away from the comet by the solar wind.

Orbit: Comets have highly elliptical orbits that take them close to the sun and then out into the outer solar system. Some comets have orbits that take them out of the solar system altogether.

Composition: Comets are composed of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. They are sometimes referred to as 'dirty snowballs' due to their composition.

Size: Comets can range in size from a few meters to several kilometers in diameter.

Importance of Studying Comets

Studying comets can provide valuable information about the formation of the solar system and the early history of the Earth. Comets may have delivered water and organic molecules to Earth, which could have played a role in the development of life on our planet. Additionally, comets could be a source of valuable resources such as water and minerals for future space exploration missions.

Answer

These are the celestial bodies which revolve around sun in an elliptical path. They take a very long time to complete one revolution around the Sun. It appears like a ball of fire with a long tail. The tail always points away from the Sun. The common example is Haley's comet.

Answer

The name comets means a 'hairy star' which are relatively small and icy celestial bodies revolving round the sun . when a comet is near the sun , some of the'ice' in it turns into gas . the gas and loose dust, freed from the ice , create a long illuminated tail that stream behind the comet
eg Hally's comet

Similar Class 8 Doubts

Give three examples of unicellular organisms?

Give two examples of kharif crop?

Give any two examples of protozoa?

Plz give some examples of polynomials?

Give four examples of fertilizers?

Top Courses for Class 8View all

Science Class 8

Mathematics (Maths) Class 8

Social Studies (SST) Class 8

English Class 8

Improve Your Calculations: Vedic Maths (English)

Top Courses for Class 8

Top Courses for Class 8

Related Content

Class 8 Study Material

Class 8 Subjects

Competitive Examinations for Class 8

NCERT Solutions

Reference Books for Class 8

Other Popular Exams

Company