Asteroids and Comets: Leftover Space Bodies
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
How long can a comet tail be?
Comets are leftovers. Learn more about the parts of the special solar bodies and name the most famous comet ever.
Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Asteroids and Comets: Leftover Space Bodies
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
Comets are leftovers. Learn more about the parts of the special solar bodies and name the most famous comet ever.
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Science Trek
Science Trek is a place where parents, kids, and educators can watch short, educational videos on a variety of science topics. Every Monday Science Trek releases a new video that introduces children to math, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career potentials in a fun, informative way.(MUSIC) JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: Comets are leftovers.
Scientists think they're made up of ice, dust, and rocky debris leftovers from the formation of the solar system about four point five billion years ago.
Comets basically come from two areas: The Oort cloud and The Kuiper belt.
Comets have three parts: the nucleus, the coma, and the tail.
The nucleus is made of ice, gas, and rocky debris.
The coma is the gas and dust that surrounds the nucleus.
As the comet gets closer to the sun, the nucleus' surface warms.
Gas and dust spew out in all directions.
And the tail forms from that gas and dust and fans out behind.
Some orbit the sun only once every million years.
Others come more frequently.
The most famous comet is Halley's comet.
It was first recorded by Chinese astronomers in 239 BCE and returns every 75 to 76 years.
It was last seen in 1986 and scientists expect it will return in 2061.
For more information about asteroids and comets, check out the Science Trek website.
You'll find it at ScienceTrek.org
Asteroids and Comets: Comet Hunters
Video has Closed Captions
How many comets have we identified? (1m 4s)
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Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.