What Is a Meteor?
10. Comets
Comets are often mistaken for meteors because of the way that they streak across the sky, but they are quite different. Comets don’t necessarily enter Earths atmosphere but are still sometimes clearly visible from the planets surface.
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They are generally made of ice and rock and leave behind them a long tail, which themselves are made of dust and gas. In 1997, Earth was treated to quite a spectacle as the comet Hale-Bopp became clearly visible even to the naked eye, and it remained visible for 18 months. Another well-known comet is Halleys comet, which will be visible from Earth again in the middle of 2061.
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