Cosmic VoyageExploring the Mysteries of CometsWhatexactlyisacometandwhydoesitglowinthesky?Mariam What exactly is a comet, and why does it glow in the sky?Greatquestion,Miriam.Astronaut Great question, Mariam! A comet is a ball of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbits the sun.Soit'slikeadirtysnowball?Mariam So, it's like a dirty snowball?Exactly.Astronaut Exactly! And as it gets closer to the sun, it heats up and releases gases. That's what creates the glowing tail you see.Doesitmeltawaythen?Mariam Does it melt away then?Partofitdoes,butcometscansurvivemanytripsaroundtheSun.Astronaut Part of it does, but comets can survive many trips around the sun. However, each journey leaves them a little smaller.Whathappensifacomet'spathbringsitclosetoEarth?Mariam What happens if a comet’s path brings it close to Earth?It'srare,butiftheydogettooclose,ourplanet'sgravitycanpullpiecesofthecomettowardus,seenasmeteorshowers.Astronaut It's rare, but if they do get too close, our planet's gravity can pull pieces of the comet toward us, seen as meteor showers.That'samazing.Mariam That’s amazing! I'll watch the skies tonight for a comet or shooting stars!What is a comet? Lesson for 9 year old
