Comets

This passage is about comets and how they are formed.

Lexile Level: 650L

Categories: Science & Technology

Comets are like big snowballs in space. They are mostly made up of frozen gases. Far from the sun, they are more solid. A comet kind of melts as it gets closer to the sun. It is also easier to see as it gets closer to the sun. This is because a comet absorbs and reflects the heat of the sun. The center gets surrounded by a cloud of gas. The cloud of gas is called a coma. When a comet gets even closer to the sun, particles and gases fall off the center, and the coma forms a tail behind the comet. A comet's tail can be up to 100 million miles long. For many years, people were scared of comets. They didn't know what they were. People thought they were a sign that bad things were going to happen. The most famous comet is Halley's Comet. It comes into view about every 75 years.