Knowing the Types of Comets and Their General Characteristics

Celestial objects come in various shapes, sizes, and types. Although many lights shine in the sky at night, not all of them are stars. There are many celestial objects that also have beautiful light, such as planets, comets, or asteroids. Many people consider comets to be shooting stars, but the two are different.

A comet is a celestial object that consists of a nucleus, coma, hydrogen layer, and tail. The tail of the comet, which often makes this celestial object resemble an asteroid, is referred to as a "tailed star." Like the moon, the light of a comet comes from the reflection of the sun. Now, to learn more about comets, let's look at their characteristics below.

Types of comets that have been seen on Earth

Comets consist of two different types, namely long-tailed comets and short-tailed comets, distinguished by their orbits. Comets with very distant orbits are called long-tailed comets, and vice versa. When passing near Earth, comets appear as beautiful sights, including the following.

Comet Mellish, seen in 1917
Comet De Kock-Paraskevopoulos, seen in 1941
Comet Eclipse, seen in 1948
Comet Ikeya Seki, seen in 1965
Comet Bennet, seen in 1970
Comet Kohoutek, seen in 1973
Comet West, seen in 1976
Comet Halley, seen in 1986 (the most famous)
Comet Hale Bopp, seen in 1997
Comet McNaught, seen in 2007
Comet Lovejoy C/2011 W3, seen in 2011

Characteristics of comets as celestial objects

Although often referred to as shooting stars, comets are not stars. There are several main characteristics that distinguish comets from other celestial objects. Let's look at the characteristics of comets below.

Orbits the sun

Like planets, comets also move in orbits around the sun. Unlike the elliptical orbits of planets, the orbits of comets are elongated, oval, or elliptical. As they move away from the sun, the tails of comets shorten.

Made of ice and dust

Comets are made of dust and gas that freeze when not exposed to sunlight. The frozen gas appears as ice. The composition of the comet evaporates, forming the gas head and tail when it approaches the sun.

Have different orbital paths

The orbital paths of comets are elongated, parabolic, and hyperbolic. Yes, the orbital paths of comets are also different from the orbits of planets or satellites. The circular orbits also vary and are not parallel.

Resemble asteroids

Actually, asteroids also consist of building blocks of ice and rock. The orbits of asteroids are also elongated and can fall irregularly when behind the sun. It is no wonder that comets are often considered similar to asteroids.

Visible when far from the sun

What does a comet look like when viewed from Earth? Comets are more often seen at night, making it harder for friends to find them. The shape of a comet can only be seen when far from the sun, and only its nucleus, made of carbon dioxide, methane, water, and frozen dust, is visible.

So, those are the various characteristics of comets that you can know to distinguish this celestial object from others. Now, you surely know that the 'shooting star' often recognized by many people is a comet!

Author: Rizkita Darajat

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