A heavenly icy body subject to the sun's force of attraction, moving in a elliptical or parabolic orbit, which sometimes degenerates into a hyperbola leading to the escape of the comet from the solar system. At times comets are also moved into Sun-grazing orbits, resulting in their destruction.
Meteor over Sinai is interpreted by Arabs as a portent of grave events in the Red Sea area, by B. Ingegnoli . . . Buy this art print at AllPosters.com.
A comet consists of a hazy gaseous cloud (called a coma) with a bright solid nucleus (center). The nucleus resembles a dirty snowball, made of ice of various types and also rock and dust particles. As it approaches the sun, radiation pressure causes the vaporization of some of its ice. The resulting gases and particles form the coma and a tail (or two) which usually points away from the sun.
Most comets are believed to originate in the Oort cloud located at large distance from the Sun. It consists of debris left over from the condensation of the solar nebula; the outer edges of nebulae are cool enough that water exists in a solid, rather than gaseous, state.
In ancient times comets were regarded as messengers of impending doom, such as the end of the world. According to 19th-century folklore, a falling or shooting star is believed to be a sign that a child has just come into the world. The shooting star supposedly falls over the spot where the baby is born. Many also believe that a wish made quickly and with sincerity on the first star of the evening, or while a falling star streaks across the nighttime sky, will be granted. To others a falling star is thought to be an unlucky omen for those who witness it, even a presage of death (especially of men of great power), or an indication that someone close to you has just passed on.
Our planet Earth has been bombarded by these celestials bodies since its very beginnings. Today almost everyone knows of the catastrophic consequences if one hits our planet.
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