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You are here: Home / Space / What Is a Comet Made of, Why Do Comets Have Irregular Shapes, and What Does the Word Comet Mean In Latin?

What Is a Comet Made of, Why Do Comets Have Irregular Shapes, and What Does the Word Comet Mean In Latin?

May 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

A comet is often described as a dirty snowball.

A comet’s nucleus, or solid core is, in fact, made of 50 percent dust and gases, and 50 percent ice.

The dust is made up of rock and metal; the ice is actually frozen gas.

Both are believed to be left over from when the solar system formed some 4.6 billion years ago.

Comet nuclei do not become spherical under their own gravity because of their low mass, and therefore have irregular shapes.

The word comet comes from the Latin word “cometes”, which came from the Greek word “κόμη”, which means “hair of the head”.

The Greek scientist Aristotle first describe what he saw as “stars with hair.”

The astronomical symbol for comets is “☄”, which is a small disc with three hairlike extensions.

Related Facts

  • What Are Irregular Galaxies and How Are Irregular Galaxies Formed?
  • Why Is a Comet's Tail Sometimes In Front of the Comet and How Big Was the Great Comet of 1811?
  • How Consistent Are the Orbits Of Comets Around the Sun and How Many Comets Have Had Their Paths Tracked?
  • Why Do Comets Orbit the Sun and How Long Does It Take Comets To Orbit the Sun?
  • What Is the Difference Between Comets and Meteors and Are Comets Related To Meteors?
  • How Long Do Comets Live For and Do Comets Last Forever When They Leave the Solar System?
  • What Are the Physical Characteristics of a Comet and What Happens To Comets As They Approach the Sun?
  • What Are the Chances of a Comet Colliding With Earth and Are Comets Likely To Collide With Other Planets?
  • Which Space Probes Were Sent To Observe Halley's Comet and Why Was Giotto Knocked Out of the Comet's Path?
  • What Happens If Earth Passes Through a Comet's Tail and What Were The Superstitions Surrounding Halley's Comet?
  • What Was Edwin Hubble's Classification System For Galaxies and Why Are Some Galaxies Irregular?
  • Why Is Hyperion Is One Of The Most Irregular Moons In The Solar System?

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.

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