Comet

A comet is an icy celestial body that, when passing close to the sun, heats up and releases gases, forming a glowing coma (a cloud of gas and dust) and often a tail that points away from the sun due to solar wind and radiation pressure. Comets are composed primarily of ice, dust, and rocky material, and they originate from the outer regions of the solar system, particularly from areas known as the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. The orbits of comets can be highly elliptical, bringing them into the inner solar system periodically, sometimes only once every few years or as infrequently as thousands of years. The study of comets provides insights into the early solar system and the processes that contributed to planetary formation. Comets are often classified as "periodic" if they have a predictable orbit and return at regular intervals, or "non-periodic" if their trajectories are less predictable.