Comets and meteors are different celestial objects. Comets are made of space dust and frozen gases, while meteors are pieces of rock or debris. Comets follow an orbit and release a trail of dust particles, while meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. Comets rarely pass close to Earth, while meteors can enter the atmosphere at any time. Comets have official names, while meteors do not. If a meteor makes it to the ground, it becomes a meteorite.
There are quite a few objects in the universe capable of causing a really, really bad day on planet Earth, including a wayward comet or a large asteroid. Most meteors, however, aren’t very high on an astronomer’s scale of scary extraterrestrial events. There are a number of differences between a comet and a meteor, from their general composition to the roles they play in the universe.
A comet is a celestial object thought to be composed primarily of space dust and frozen gases. Experts think they were born somewhere in the outer parts of the universe and are not related to the formation of our solar system at all. A comet follows an orbit that can bring it close to a star, such as the Sun, and as it approaches the star, a portion of its ice core can melt and release a trail of dust particles. This cycle can continue for millions of years.
A meteor, on the other hand, is a piece of rock or other debris and doesn’t follow an orbit around the Sun. It also has a different name while it remains floating in space: it’s called a meteoroid. It is known as a meteor only when it enters the earth’s atmosphere.
As the Earth passes through a comet trail or debris field, individual meteoroids strike or leap through the upper layers of the atmosphere. Observers on Earth might be lucky enough to see the last few seconds of this debris’s existence as it streaks across the sky and burns. Unlike a comet, a meteor won’t return many years later.
A comet rarely passes within a few million miles of the Earth, while a meteor, by its very definition, must strike the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. The arrival of a comet can be predicted with some degree of accuracy and can rarely be seen with the naked eye. Meteors can enter Earth’s atmosphere at any time of the day or night, and during a shower it’s not uncommon to see dozens or even hundreds within a few hours.
Scientists give comets official names for identification, such as Swift-Tuttle, Hale-Bopp, or Halley’s Comet. Even some large asteroids can be given identifying names, but not meteors. Virtually all of these objects cease to exist once they enter the Earth’s atmosphere, although a rare few make it to the ground. Once it comes into contact with the earth’s surface, it becomes known as a meteorite. While a comet may be made up of space dust, organic materials, and ice, most meteors contain elemental metals, such as iron, along with inorganic minerals, such as quartz.
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