Comet - Wikipedia
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body or interstellar object that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, …
Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches closest point to Earth: How to see it on Friday ...
4 days ago · Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected, reached its closest point to Earth overnight from Thursday to Friday (Dec. 18 to 19), and it remains in a good viewing position …
Comets - Science@NASA
Dec 3, 2025 · Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. When frozen, they are the size of a small town. When a comet's orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up …
Comet | Definition, Composition, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 29, 2025 · Comet, a small body orbiting the Sun with a substantial fraction of its composition made up of volatile ices. Comets are among the most-spectacular objects in the sky, with their bright …
What Are Comets | What Does a Comet Look Like | Comet Facts | Star …
May 17, 2025 · When a comet is in the inner Solar System, the Sun warms it up, causing the comet's ice to vaporize and release dust and gas particles. The solar wind blows those particles off the comet, …
What Are Comets? - timeanddate.com
Comets are small celestial bodies, primarily made of dust and ice, that orbit the Sun. They are thought to be remnants of the formation of the Solar System.
What is a comet? - BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Aug 26, 2025 · Simply put, a comet is a large body of ice and dust orbiting the Sun, sometimes seen as a bright object in the sky with a long tail streaming behind it. Wanderers of the Solar System, comets …
What Is A Comet? | Pictures, Famous Comets, & Astrophotography
Nov 2, 2025 · A comet is a celestial object that is composed mainly of dust, rocks, water ice, and frozen gases. They are often referred to as ‘ dirty snowballs ‘ because of their composition, made of …
Comet 3I/ATLAS Is Accelerating. Here's What That Means
6 days ago · Comet 3I/ATLAS—the third interstellar object ever known to pass through our solar system—is accelerating and now approaching its closest point to Earth. “Significant” non-gravitational ...
3I/ATLAS: NASA Spacecraft Spies Comet As It Passes Closest To Earth
4 days ago · NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, collecting rare data as the ancient object made its closest approach to Earth.