Comets

The solar system contains billions of comets, which are best described as “dirty snowballs.” Comets only occasionally make their way into the inner solar system during their orbit around the sun. When they pass by the sun, they partially melt, forming a beautiful stream of material in the night sky. Check out some of these beautiful images of comets. It’s no wonder that ancient people could not figure out where these bizarre and beautiful objects in the sky came from.
You can capture photos of comets using just your cell phone! Check out the video My photo of Comet Neowise to see one of my best shots.
Read 13.3 The “Long-Haired” Comets to learn about the nature of comets, including their nucleus composition, formation of tails, and the ESA Rosetta mission’s insights into Comet P67 (Churyumov-Gerasimenko).
Watch this video illustrating the orbit of Halley’s Comet in Universe Sandbox.
The Rosetta mission was able to capture images from the surface of a comet! Check out this time-lapse footage to see what it looks like.
Explore 13.4 The Origin and Fate of Comets and Related Objects to understand the origins of comets from the Oort cloud and Kuiper belt, their role as primitive solar system remnants, and their fate after multiple perihelion passages.
Watch The Oort Cloud from Crash Course for an excellent overview of the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud.
Some comets pass so close to the sun that they are torn apart or vaporized entirely. Thousands of these “sungrazing comets” have been discovered thanks to space telescopes that continuously monitor the sun. Check out the NASA video Why are We Seeing So Many Sungrazing Comets to see some amazing footage of these comets as they come close to the sun.