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 and Orion
2 October 2009
These colorful panels both feature a familiar astronomical sight: the stellar nursery known as the Great Orion Nebula. They also offer an intriguing and unfamiliar detail of the nebula rich skyscape -- a passing comet. Recorded this weekend with a remotely operated telescope in New Mexico, the right hand image was taken on September 26 and the left on September 27. Comet 217P Linear sports an extended greenish tail and lies above the bluish Running Man reflection nebula near the top of both frames. Nearby and moving rapidly through the night sky, the comet's position clearly shifts against the cosmic nebulae and background stars from one night to the next. In fact, the comet was a mere 5 light-minutes away on September 27, compared to 1,500 light-years for the Orion Nebula. Much too faint to be seen with the unaided eye, Comet 217P Linear is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of about 8 years. At its most distant point from the Sun, the comet's orbit is calculated to reach beyond the orbit of Jupiter At its closest point to the Sun, the comet still lies just beyond the orbit of planet Earth.