What Causes a Comet to Shine?

Imagine a comet is like a snowball that’s been sitting in the cold, dark part of space for a very long time. When it gets close to the Sun, the heat from the Sun turns the ice inside the comet into gas, and that gas makes the comet shine bright like a glowing star! It's like when you blow on your breath in the winter and see clouds of vapor, only this is way bigger and more magical!

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Examples

  1. A comet shining in the sky looks like someone lit up a giant snowball with sunlight.
  2. The glow from a comet reminds you of when your breath fogs up in cold air, but on a cosmic scale!
  3. It's like the comet is wearing a shiny glowing cloak made by the Sun.

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Categories: Space · Comet· Solar System· Astronomy