SOLAR SYSTEM

UNIVERSE

PLANETARY FORMATION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Objects made of ice and rocks that orbit the sun with very elliptical orbits, disappearing beyond the planets for many years at a time, and then reappear passing by the sun are called ____
A
Asteroids
B
Comets
C
Minor Planets
D
Meteors
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Comets are large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the Sun. Best known for their long, streaming tails, these ancient objects are leftovers from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago.

Detailed explanation-2: -There may be millions of these icy objects, collectively referred to as Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), in this distant region of our solar system.

Detailed explanation-3: -Comets are thought to orbit the sun in either the Oort cloud or Kuiper belt. When another star passes by the solar system, its gravity pushes the Oort cloud and/or Kuiper belt and causes comets to descend toward the sun in a highly elliptical orbit with the sun at one focus of the ellipse.

Detailed explanation-4: -Comets are pristine remnants from the formation of the solar system that are comprised of minerals, rock and mostly ice, much like a dirty snowball. They travel around the sun in elliptical orbits and can be inclined to the plane of the solar system at any angle.

There is 1 question to complete.