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The coma is generally made of ice and comet dust. [1] Water composes up to 90% of the volatiles that outflow from the nucleus when the comet is within 3–4 au (280–370 million mi; 450–600 million km) from the Sun. [1] The H 2 O parent molecule is destroyed primarily through photodissociation and to a much smaller extent photoionization. [1]
Comet orbits had been determined quite precisely, yet comets were at times recovered "off-schedule," by as much as days. Early comets could be explained by a "resisting medium"—such as "the aether", or the cumulative action of meteoroids against the front of the comet(s). [citation needed] But comets could return both early and late. Whipple ...
In 2001, the Deep Space 1 spacecraft obtained high-resolution images of the surface of Comet Borrelly. It was found that the surface of comet Borrelly is hot and dry, with a temperature of between 26 and 71 °C (79 and 160 °F), and extremely dark, suggesting that the ice has been removed by solar heating and maturation, or is hidden by the ...
Most comets (several thousands) observed by ground-based observers or automated observatories (e.g. Pan-STARRS) or by near-Earth spacecraft (e.g. SOHO) are long-period comets that had only one apparition. Comet Halley and other Halley type comets (HTCs) have periods of 20 to 200 years and inclinations from 0 to 180 degrees. HTCs are believed to ...
Scientists say comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is visible once every 80,000 years, and people across North America were treated to stunning views. Striking photos show stunning, once-in-a ...
A rare comet is still glowing over Ohio. Here's how to see it before it's gone, and won't return for 80,000 years.
Evidence of amorphous ice in comets is found in the high levels of activity observed in long-period, Centaur, and Jupiter Family comets at heliocentric distances beyond ~6 AU. [173] These objects are too cold for the sublimation of water ice, which drives comet activity closer to the Sun, to have much of an effect.
Add in high levels of platinum found from Syria to South Carolina—rare in Earth’s soil, but incredibly common in comets—and the location of both magnetic balls of iron known as ...