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Meteor and a Comet
What is the difference between a meteor and a comet?
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1 Reply
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The terms “meteor” and “comet” refer to different celestial phenomena, and here are the key differences between them:
Meteor
Definition: A meteor is the streak of light produced when a meteoroid (a small rocky or metallic body in space) enters the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up due to friction with the air.
Appearance: When visible, meteors are often called “shooting stars” or “falling stars,” and they typically appear as bright flashes of light in the night sky.
Duration: The visible phenomenon lasts only a few seconds as the meteoroid vaporizes.
Origin: Meteoroids can originate from comets or asteroids, and many are remnants from the debris left behind by these bodies.
Comet
Definition: A comet is a small celestial body composed of ice, dust, and rocky material. When it approaches the Sun, it develops a glowing coma (a cloud of gas and dust) and often a tail that points away from the Sun.
Structure: Comets typically have a nucleus made of ice and dust, surrounded by a coma and one or more tails formed by solar radiation and solar wind.
Orbit: Comets have highly elliptical orbits that can take them far beyond the planets before returning to the inner solar system.
Examples: Famous comets include Halley’s Comet and Comet Hale-Bopp.
Summary
Meteor: A transient light phenomenon caused by a meteoroid entering the atmosphere.
Comet: A small icy body that forms a glowing coma and tail when near the Sun.
Understanding these distinctions helps clarify how different objects in our solar system behave and interact with each other.
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