Comets, what are they?
Hello Steemians!
Taking a look into Comets today, the bodies that tend sort for a wonderful visual effect in the skies.
Commet Lovejoy seen from the orbit
So, what are comets?
Comets are small icy bodies in the Solar System.
They are made out the Nucleus, the solid core structure of a comet that is made out of a mix of rock, ice, dust and gases, the coma, a stream of gases and dust that is released from the comets atmosphere and the tails that the coma leaves.
Comet ISON - Hubble
The tails start forming when the comets are approaching the Sun. As the temperature rises the outgassing starts, and the gases and ice from the comets gets released forming a light trail visible in the night sky.
Comet 252P/LINEAR 12 - NASA
Comets are parted into two main groups, the short and the long period comets.
The short period comets, also called periodic comets, often last less then 200 years and they usually orbit in the same direction as the planets.
The long period comets have highly eccentric orbits and their lifespan measures up to thousands of years.
Comet McNaught
Many scientists believe that comets were colliding with the Earth in the past and thus are responsible for shaping it as we know it today, as well that they are responsible for filling up our oceans with water.
Halley's Comet 1910
Beautiful space objects with a possible devastating effect on life how we know it, comets are something to both admire for its beauty and fear for its destructive power, I hope you enjoyed this brief look into comets, stay tuned for more!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.youtube.com
http://www.space.com
http://www.guide-to-the-universe.com
http://strangesounds.org
http://www.universetoday.com
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Good job and, as @lemouth would point out, the presence of comets in our skies is one of my personal favorites to watch, especially during the Perseids peaking around the 12th of August for us Gregorian Calendar followers... Namaste :)
Comets are also a good reason to spend time outside, during the night, in order to try to catch them (during the summer of course) :)
Yep I agree, a fascinating spectacle to watch !