Feb 16, 2025
Asteroids and comets are interesting celestial bodies that reveal information about the early solar system. Both originate from the same primordial material but have distinct characteristics that set them apart
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Asteroids are primarily composed of metals and rocky materials, while comets are composed of ice, dust, and rocks.
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Asteroids do not produce a coma or tail, while comets develop a temporary tail when they are close to the Sun. When a comet approaches the sun, some of its ice melts and vaporizes, resulting in a glowing halo known as a coma.
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Asteroids have shorter orbital periods, ranging from 1 to 100 years, while comets have longer periods, from 75 to over 100,000 years.
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Asteroids typically have elliptical orbits, whereas comets have more eccentric orbits.
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Asteroids can range from 1 to larger than 100 kilometres in size, while comets are typically 1 to 10 kilometres in size (nucleus only).
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Asteroids were formed closer to the Sun where ice couldn't survive, whereas comets were formed at a greater distance where ice was solid.
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Asteroids are mainly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, while comets are found in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.
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Asteroids and comets are occasionally visible from Earth. Bright comets, such as Halley's Comet, were visible without a telescope because they have long dust tails formed when their ice melts near the Sun. Occasionally, larger asteroids can also be spotted, but they are generally fainter and harder to see.
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