COMETS
Presented by Chakshu Tandon and Mike Grant
WHAT ARE THEY?
Remains of materials left over after the creation of the universe
Mixture of frozen water, gasses, and dust
Have eccentric orbits that are highly eliptical
Thier tails can extend over 3.8 astronomical units (570 m. km)
Parts of a comet
http://www.akitarescueoftulsa.com/rosetta-comet-orbit-diagram/
They come from two locations:
KUIPER BELT
OORT CLOUD
30-35 AU
5,000 and 100,000 AU
Less than 200 years
Thousands of years
5 - 7.5 Billion Km
0.7 - 10 Trillion Km
What are they really made of?
Organic and Inorganic Matter
Carbon (C)
Hydrogen (H)
Metals (Na, K, Ca, etc.)
Building blocks left over from formation of the planets
HISTORY OF COMETS
Were considered bad omens until the 16th century.
Comet comes from the Greek word
( Kometes )
Halley's comet, a short-range comet, has been observed since 240 B.C.
It is visible from Earth every 75 years.
Halley's Comet as observed from Earth
http://galleryhip.com/halleys-comet.html
HOW THEY FORM
The main theory:
SOLAR NEBULA HYPOTHESIS
Hydrogen gas cloud... Denser clumps of matter... Protoplanetary Disc...
Comets are the smaller clumps of matter that are formed further away from the star.
Jan Oort proposed that comets reside in a huge cloud that reaches far past the solar system.
He named the cloud of comets and icy bodies the Oort cloud.
This discovery made the Solar Nebula Theory plausible.
Gravity of the star reached to only certain parts of the Oort cloud and pulled the comets into the inner solar system.
Solar Nebular Theory
https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/solar-system/origin-of-the-solar-system/
SOME INTERESTING FACTS
We landed on a comet recently!
THATS HUGE
http://www.space.com/27748-comet-landing-what-s-nasa-s-role-video.html
There are about 0.1 to 2 trillion comets and other celestial bodies in both the Oort Cloud and the Kuiper Belt.
The nucleus or "core" of the comet can range from 10-50 km across.
The plane of revolution of comets is not limited to the plane of elliptic where the planets reside.
Orbit of Comet Halley in comparison to solar system 'planets'
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/comets/halley.html
Orbit of Eris, brightest comet in Kuiper Belt
https://alienspacesciencenews.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/kuiper_belt_-surrounds-earths-outer-solar-system-past-pluto-comet-eris-changing-human-dna-cells-deep-space-travel-ufo-wow-signal-ideas/
Comets were formed near the creation of the Earth and may contain evidence to the formation of the planet.
(and the beginning of life too)
4.5 +/- 0.1 billion years ago
As the comet approaches the sun, ice sublimates off of the comet's surface creating ice and dust jets.
Comet Ison releasing gas and dust via ice jets
http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2013/11/14/comet-ison-in-outburst-brightens-a-magnitude-or-more/
Bibliography
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http://www.space.com/16144-kuiper-belt-objects.html
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http://www.space.com/27697-rosetta-comet-landing-full-coverage.html
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mggUVLFPkQg
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http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/comets/background/
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http://www.space.com/27748-comet-landing-what-s-nasa-s-role-video.html
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http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/science/comet-primer/what-comet
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http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Comets-and-Asteroids/How-Asteroids-and-Comets-Formed.html
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http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=17&cat=solarsystem
Q and A Time
Chakshu Tandon and Mike Grant
Presented by:
COMETS
By Chakshu Tandon
