Comet nomenclature |
Comet nomenclature
Comet McNaught
The names given to comets have followed several different conventions over the past two centuries. Before any systematic naming convention was adopted, come...
Posted by COMET on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:22:00 PST |
Physical characteristics |
Physical characteristics
Comet Hyakutake
Long-period comets are believed to originate in a distant cloud known as the Oort cloud (after the astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort who hypothesised its e...
Posted by COMET on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:19:00 PST |
Notable comets |
While hundreds of tiny comets pass through the inner solar system every year, very few are noticed by the general public. About every decade or so, a comet will become bright enough to be noticed by a...
Posted by COMET on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:07:00 PST |
Studies of physical characteristics |
Studies of physical characteristics
Comets have highly elliptical orbits. Note the two distinct tails:Cyan for gas tail, grey for dust tail.
Isaac Newton described comets as compact, solid, fixed,...
Posted by COMET on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 03:00:00 PST |
History of comet study |
Early observations and thought
Historically, comets were thought to be unlucky, or even interpreted as attacks by heavenly beings against terrestrial inhabitants. Some authorities interpret references...
Posted by COMET on Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:58:00 PST |
