What are comets made of?

Joyful comets It is the remains of frozen matter that dates back to the formation of the Solar System about 4.6 billion years ago.

The sizes of these objects circulating in the universe can range from a few kilometers to tens of kilometers wide; it is a size that shrinks as it collides with other objects in space in their orbits towards the Sun.

On this orbit, the gradual heating of its surface releases gases and particles that leave a characteristic irregular shape and a bright trail known as a tail – a visual effect we can observe through equipment or even when we turn our eyes to the sky. .

Analysis of its composition reveals that: comets It consists of rock, dust, and frozen gases such as carbon monoxide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.

In addition to these compounds, cosmic objects may have various organic elements. These include methanol, ethanol, ethane, hydrogen cyanide, and formaldehyde, as well as more complex molecules such as long-chain hydrocarbons and amino acids.

Examining this evidence may provide clues about the origin of the Universe itself and how it was possible to transport the water that made life possible on Earth.

origin of comets

although the current number known comets 3,743, there are probably billions still circulating in the galaxy. ours solar systemthese objects are mainly concentrated next to asteroids and meteorites in the so-called Kuiper Belt of Neptune’s orbit and take less than 200 years to reach their final destination.

It is also worth noting its existence. comets In more distant regions such as the Oort Cloud at the edge of the Solar System.

In recent years, space agency missions have managed to study some of them. comets closer. Launched by NASA in 2004, the Stardust program collected samples of interstellar particles and dust left behind by Earth. comet wild 2It is located between Mars and Jupiter.

After sending the materials to Earth, a high concentration of glycine, a chemical considered to be one of the “building blocks” of life, was found.

In 2014, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission launched a lander at the center of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The first comet touched by humanity. It orbits the Sun in an orbit that crosses the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, approaching but not reaching Earth’s orbit.

More than 52% of all objects close to our planet have been discovered by the University of Arizona. There, researchers work with NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey program. cometsAsteroids or meteorites that could pose a crash hazard to Earth.