- Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by rocky and metallic material.
- Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and mercury.
- Comets show perceptible glowing tails, while asteroids do not.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
Statement 1 is correct: Comets are made up mostly of frozen gases and a mass of dust. The surface is icy and as the comet approaches the sun, the ice evaporates. That makeup distinguishes comets from asteroids because asteroids, on the other hand, are made up of rocky and metallic material. Asteroids are warmer since they are much closer to the sun. Statement 2 is not correct: Asteroids and Comets are considered near-earth objects (NEO). They can be visible and there is always a possibility of earth collision but still, the chances are very, very slim. Both asteroids and comets orbit around the sun. However, comets tend to have an extremely elongated movement around the sun while asteroids have more circular orbits and most of them are found in the asteroid belt where they orbit the sun between the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Statement 3 is correct: Comets have a distinct characteristic of forming a visible coma and at times, a long tail of ions pointing opposite the sun which the asteroid does not have. This is because of the comet’s icy surface but far away from the sun, it is hard to distinguish a comet from an asteroid.
