What is a comet?

Comets are large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the Sun.

Scientists believe that comets are made up of material left over from when the Sun and the planets were formed. They think that about 100,000 million comets orbit the Sun. Some comets orbit the Sun like planets. Their orbits take them very close to and very far away from the Sun.

As of 2014 there are 5,253 known comets, a number that is steadily increasing as they are discovered. However, this represents only a tiny fraction of the total potential comet population, as the number of comet-like bodies in the outer Solar System is estimated to be one trillion. That’s a LOT!

Learn more about comets by watching the video below.

Go to this link to learn more about comets by reading a small article and then answer the question at the bottom.

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