What is a comet and where do they come from?
The word comet comes from the Greek word meaning 'hair of the head', this is because they look like stars with hair.
Comets, just like asteroids, are leftover materials from when the solar system was created. They tumble through space and orbit the Sun. They can take hundreds of years to do this.
Short-period comets take less than 200 years to orbit the Sun. These types of comets come from the Kuiper belt.
Long-period comets take more than 200 years to orbit the Sun. These types of comets come from the Oort cloud.
The main difference between a comet and an asteroid is that comets are made of ice, rock and small particles, whereas asteroids are made of carbon, rock and metals. Comets also leave a trail behind them when they pass through the sky, which asteroids do not.
