Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
comet
noun
/ˈkɒm.ɪt/
Definition
A comet is a small celestial body that orbits the Sun and is composed of ice, dust, and rocky material.
Examples
- Halley’s Comet is one of the most famous comets, visible from Earth approximately every 76 years.
- The tails of comets can stretch for millions of kilometers in space.
Meaning
Comets are often characterized by a glowing coma (a cloud of gas and dust) and a tail that points away from the Sun, resulting from the sun’s radiation and solar wind melting the comet’s ice as it approaches it.
Synonyms
- nucleus
- cosmic snowball