Made up of ice, gas, rock and dust, the nucleus of a comet is located in the center of the head and is always frozen. The gaseous part of the nuclei is composed of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and a
This is composed of expanding gas that was blown off by a star as it collapsed to a white dwarf. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester, A. Loll (ASU)) Supernova remnant: The Crab Nebula Exactly as the name says, this is all that remains of a star that has exploded as a super...
Some minds are so exceptional they change the world. We don’t know exactly why these people soar above the rest of us, but science offers us clues.
like an asteroid or comet, that breaks apart. When a piece falls towards Earth, the friction with our atmosphere heats it up, making it glow and often burning most of it away. This glowing streak of light is called a meteor, or"shooting star."However, some pieces are big and strong en...
body (that isn’t a comet), usually rocky or metallic, composed of dirt and ice. Small asteroids are also called meteoroids. When an asteroid or meteoroid enters the atmosphere and streaks through the sky, it then becomes known as a meteor. Anything that survives the impact is a meteorite...
Common opal is a mineraloid. It is an amorphous silica with a chemical composition of SiO2.nH2O. It has a conchoidal fracture that is characteristic of an amorphous glass. Precious Opal is a mineraloid. The play-of-color in opal is produced when light travels through a three-dimensional ...
What is a meteorite made up of?Minerals from Space:The Earth's crust is relatively poor in heavy metals, due to the separation that occurred when the Earth was still molten. Some of the largest mineral deposits on the Earth are the result of asteroid impacts millions of years ago, long ...
Evidence found at the Chicxulub crater suggests the rock was composed of carbonaceous chondrite. Siraj and Loeb’s hypothesis might also explain this unusual composition. A popular theory on the origin of Chicxulub claims that the impactor originated from the m...
What is a meteor shower?Question:What is a meteor shower?Meteoroids:A meteoroid is a relatively small object found in outer space, usually composed of rocky or metallic materials. When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, they produce a visible streak called a "meteor."Answer...
Comets have a tail. Comets actually have three distinct components: the nucleus, consisting of rock and ice; the coma, consisting of gases and dust; and the tail, which is formed when gases and dust spread out from the nucleus or coma.M: Okay. A comet has a nucleus, a coma, and a...