SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -We now know that comets are leftovers from the dawn of our solar system around 4.6 billion years ago, and consist mostly of ice coated with dark organic material. They have been referred to as “dirty snowballs.” They may yield important clues about the formation of our solar system.

Detailed explanation-2: -Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun.

Detailed explanation-3: -Why are Comets Called Dirty Snowballs? Comets are often referred to as “dirty snowballs” as a quick way to describe them to non-astronomers who might not know all the facts about them. This is mostly owing to the composition of a comet, thanks to the way in which it formed and where.

Detailed explanation-4: -Cometary nuclei are composed of an amalgamation of rock, dust, water ice, and frozen carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and ammonia. As such, they are popularly described as “dirty snowballs” after Fred Whipple’s model.