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You are here: Home / Space / What Are the Chances of a Comet Colliding With Earth and Are Comets Likely To Collide With Other Planets?

What Are the Chances of a Comet Colliding With Earth and Are Comets Likely To Collide With Other Planets?

July 31, 2020 by Karen Hill

Cometary orbits are not steady and orderly like planetary orbits.

Comets can come from anyhere on any trajectory.

The chances of a planet getting in the way are pretty good, especially since a planet’s gravity will draw a nearby comet toward it.

On June 30, 1908, a comet was reported to have crashed in Russia’s Siberian wilderness.

Recent reports have raised a question as to whether it was a comet or an asteroid.

Its nucleus vaporized in the atmosphere, but the tremors from its impact were detected.

Halley’s comet, probably the most popularly famous comet, completes a single orbit around the Sun about every 76 years.

It will next be at its closest point to the Sun in the year 2061.

Related Facts

  • Why Is a Comet's Tail Sometimes In Front of the Comet and How Big Was the Great Comet of 1811?
  • What Is a Comet Made of, Why Do Comets Have Irregular Shapes, and What Does the Word Comet Mean In Latin?
  • What Happens If Earth Passes Through a Comet's Tail and What Were The Superstitions Surrounding Halley's Comet?
  • What Are the Outer Planets, What Are The Names of the Outer Planets, and Where Are the Outer Planets Located?
  • Are There Planets In Other Solar Systems and Is There Any Evidence That Other Solar Systems Have Planets?
  • Which Space Probes Were Sent To Observe Halley's Comet and Why Was Giotto Knocked Out of the Comet's Path?
  • What Are the Physical Characteristics of a Comet and What Happens To Comets As They Approach the Sun?
  • What Is the Difference Between Comets and Meteors and Are Comets Related To Meteors?
  • Why Do Comets Orbit the Sun and How Long Does It Take Comets To Orbit the Sun?
  • How Consistent Are the Orbits Of Comets Around the Sun and How Many Comets Have Had Their Paths Tracked?
  • How Long Do Comets Live For and Do Comets Last Forever When They Leave the Solar System?
  • Will the planets Pluto and Neptune collide when their orbits cross?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Long Do Comets Live For and Do Comets Last Forever When They Leave the Solar System?
Next Post: What Happens If Earth Passes Through a Comet’s Tail and What Were The Superstitions Surrounding Halley’s Comet? »

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