This page discusses comets, termed "dirty snowballs," which are ice and dust compositions. About 5,000 comets have been identified, fewer than asteroids, and they mainly orbit in the Kuiper Belt and O...This page discusses comets, termed "dirty snowballs," which are ice and dust compositions. About 5,000 comets have been identified, fewer than asteroids, and they mainly orbit in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud on elliptical paths. Named after their discoverers, comets have historical significance and can collide with planets, as evidenced by Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's impact on Jupiter in 1994. David Levy likened comets to cats for their unpredictable behavior.
This page discusses the discovery of Centaurs, celestial objects that possess features of both asteroids and comets, with around 44,000 believed to exist between Jupiter and Neptune. Named after mytho...This page discusses the discovery of Centaurs, celestial objects that possess features of both asteroids and comets, with around 44,000 believed to exist between Jupiter and Neptune. Named after mythological hybrids, these objects have water ice and comet-like tails, while resembling asteroids in composition. Chiron is highlighted as the most notable centaur, though no close-up images have been taken of these objects.
