Comet
A comet is a small Solar System body composed mainly of ice, dust, and organic compounds. As they approach the Sun, cometary ices sublimate, releasing gas and dust that form the glowing coma and distinctive tails—often extending millions of kilometers.
Comets originate from two primary reservoirs: the Kuiper Belt—home to short-period comets with orbits under ~200 years—and the distant Oort Cloud, which sends long-period comets with orbits spanning thousands of years. Occasionally, interstellar objects like ‘Oumuamua pass through our system, appearing comet-like.
They are “dirty snowballs” and among the most primitive remnants of the early Solar System, preserving original ices and organic material from 4.6 billion years ago.
Landmark missions include ESA’s Rosetta—with its lander Philae—which orbited and sampled Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (2014–2016). NASA’s Deep Impact struck Comet Tempel 1 in 2005 to analyze interior composition.
These missions discovered complex organic molecules, including amino-acid precursors, and supported the theory that comets may have delivered water and prebiotic compounds to early Earth.
Looking ahead, ESA–JAXA’s Comet Interceptor (launch planned for 2029) intends to perform a rapid flyby of a dynamically new or interstellar comet, using multiple spacecraft to sample both nucleus and coma environments.
Comets are studied across the electromagnetic spectrum—from radio to gamma rays—using telescopes and spacecraft to understand composition, internal structure, activity, and their roles in planetary formation, the evolution of the solar system, and the origin of life.
Sources
APODs including "Comet"
Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 Passes the Earth
23 May 2006
Rarely does a comet pass this close to Earth. Last week, dedicated astrofilmographers were able to take advantage of the close approach of crumbling 73P / Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 to make time-lapse movies of the fast-moving comet. Large comet fragments passed about 25 times the Moon's distance from the Earth. The above time lapse movie of Fragment B of Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 over Colorado, USA was taken during a single night, May 16, with 83 consecutive 49-second exposures. Some observers report being able to perceive the slight motion of the comet with respect to the background stars using only their binoculars and without resorting to the creation of fancy digital time-lapse movies. Fragment B of Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 became just barely visible to the unaided eye two weeks ago but now is appearing to fade as the comet has moved past the Earth and nears the Sun. Many sky enthusiasts will be on the watch for a particularly active meteor shower tonight as the Earth made its closest approach to orbit of Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 late yesterday.