Comet Means Long-Haired Star
A comet is an icy body that grows a tail near the sun. The Greeks named it for its hair, which is what the tail looked like.
A comet is a small icy body that develops a glowing head and tail as it nears the sun. The Greeks called it *aster kometes*, long-haired star, and the description is exact: the tail is a stream of gas and dust blown off by solar radiation, and it always points away from the sun, so a comet moving away trails its hair in front of it. The tail does not follow the comet like smoke behind a train.
- An icy solar-system body. *A bright comet.*
- Coma — the glowing head. *The comet's coma.*
- Tail — the streaming dust and gas. *A long tail.*
- Halley's Comet — the famous one. *Halley's Comet returns in 2061.*
- Greek — *kometes*, long-haired. *The source word.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | comet | A comet appeared. |
| Plural | comets | Two comets. |
| Adjective | cometary | Cometary dust. |
| Noun | coma | The coma. |
| Greek | kometes | Long-haired. |
- The comet was visible for weeks.Observation.
- Its tail points away from the sun.Physics.
- Kometes means long-haired.Etymology.
Comet, asteroid, meteor
- Comet — icy, grows a tail near the sun
- Asteroid — rocky or metallic, no tail
- Meteoroid — a small fragment in space
- Meteor — the streak it makes burning in the atmosphere
- Meteorite — what reaches the ground
Latin *cometa*, from Greek *aster kometes*, long-haired star, from *kome*, hair of the head.
Does a comet's tail trail behind it?
Not always. The tail points away from the sun, so a comet travelling outward moves tail-first.
What is the difference between a comet and an asteroid?
Comets are icy and develop a coma and tail near the sun. Asteroids are rocky or metallic and do not.