Comet - Reflexions

Comet

The birth of comets dates back to the origins of our solar system. They are at the root of planet formation and the ones we can observe today were born during this era and have remained within the confines of our solar system, frozen and intact for billions of years. Their cores are made up of water in the form of ice (80%), carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, particles of dust of various types of chemical composition and more complex organic molecules, such as amino acids. A comet nucleus can reach 50 kilometres in diameter. When during their voyage they approach the Sun the ice on the surface melts and the core’s chemical elements are released in the form of gas jets, which creates its coma (or tail).