What is the Difference Between Asteroids and Comets?

universetoday.com ^ | on November 19, 2014 | Nancy Atkinson

[BenLurkin]

Asteroids and comets have a few things in common. They are both celestial bodies orbiting our Sun, and they both can have unusual orbits, sometimes straying close to Earth or the other planets. They are both “leftovers” — made from materials from the formation of our Solar System 4.5 billion years ago. But there are a few notable differences between these two objects, as well. The biggest difference between comets and asteroids, however, is what they are made of.

While asteroids consist of metals and rocky material, comets are made up of ice, dust, rocky materials and organic compounds. When comets get closer to the Sun, they lose material with each orbit because some of their ice melts and vaporizes. Asteroids typically remain solid, even when near the Sun.

Right now, the majority of asteroids reside in the asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter which may hold millions of space rocks of varying sizes. On the other hand, the majority of comets are in the farthest reaches of our Solar System: either 1. in the Kuiper Belt — a region just outside the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto that may have millions of icy comets (as well as many icy dwarf planets like Pluto and Eris); or 2. comets also come from the Oort Cloud, a region where trillions of comets may circle the Sun at huge distances of up to 20 trillion kilometers (13 trillion miles).

[Veggie Todd]

The difference? Preparation H can fix one of them?

[JRandomFreeper]

As more information comes in, those definitions are subject to change.

/johnny

[Disambiguator]

Comets look pretty in the night sky, but asteroids smash into Earth, causing widespread dismay.

/s

[BRL]

My dad always said that hemroids should be called asteroids

[Blood of Tyrants]

I always thought that asteroids and hemorrhoids names were swapped.

[BenLurkin]

As I have made clear to my kids for years now: science is always wrong.

There is always another theory coming — so don’t take the current ones too seriously.

[right way right]

Nobody has ever named cool chromed out Ford cars after an asteroid.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Asteroids are an old school video game and Comets clean sinks.

[JRandomFreeper]

As long as we're learning, nothing is set in stone.

And we've just barely scratched the surface of space exploration.

Most of it has occurred during a human lifetime. That's not very long.

/johnny

[Gamecock]

Beat me to it.

[Darksheare]

Neither are my fault?

[Berlin_Freeper]

none

[ThomasThomas]

An asteroid is in a word to show process or in a contraction. Bill's bills.
A comet is used to separate phases in a sentence.

[Alex Murphy]

Asteroids are an old school video game and Comets clean sinks.

I was about to post "Comets never got their own video game" when I saw this!

[oldbill]

Asteroids live in a very expensive hotel in New York.

Comets are a bathroom cleanser.

[Political Junkie Too]

Since religion is being outlawed, there is no such things as Christmas. If there is no Christmas, then there is no Santa Claus. If there is no Santa Claus, then he has no reindeer. If there are no reindeer, then there is no Comet.

Therefore, there are only asteroids.

-PJ

[jmacusa]

Both have impacted the Earth and will do so again.

[BenLurkin]

Oh my!

[Bob434]

why do they call them hemorrhoids, they should be called asteroids