Page 57 - The Glory in the Heavens

OTHER CELESTIAL BODIES
OTHER CELESTIAL BODIES

Some other celestial bodies in the Solar System
are comets, asteroids and meteorites. These are the

celestial bodies remaining from the nebula in which the

Solar System originated four to six billion years ago.

C
e
m
s
t
- Comets are made up of condensed gases and
o
dust. Sometimes, their orbits bring them closer to the
sun. As the comet approaches the sun, its surface
starts evaporating because of the heat. This evapora-
tion causes a bright

light. A huge ball of

gas and dust 55

appears around

the nucleus. This

ball of gas and

dust is called a

"coma". Also, there

is a tail of gas and dust
A comet
related to this coma.
o
s
r
e
- Meteors are rocky objects in space. Usually, they
e
M
t
are observed in between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter. In some cases, the diameter of meteors may be
as much as 1,000 kilometres (620 miles).