What is the difference between comet and asteroid?
1 Answer
| Asteroid | Comet |
| Asteroids have an elliptical orbit | Comets have an eccentric orbit. |
| It is made of metals and rocks | Made of rocks, hydrocarbons, and ice |
| Do not produce a coma or tail atmosphere | Thin, temporary atmospheric tail when close to the Sun. |
| The orbital period is 1 to 100 years | The orbital periods are 75 to more than 100,000 years. |
| 1 to larger than 100 kilometers in size | 1 to 10 kilometer in size (nucleus only) |
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