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[[Image:Comet wild 2.jpg|right|thumb|Photograph of the comet code named ''Wild 2''|250px]]{{etymology|The word "comet" first appears in [[Aristotle]]'s ''Meteorology,'' and derives from the Greek ''komē,'' hair.<ref>[http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/meteorology.1.i.html Meteorology, part 1], translation by E. W. Webster. See part 7: "The kind of comet varies according to the shape which the exhalation happens to take. If it is diffused equally on every side the star is said to be fringed, if it stretches out in one direction it is called bearded. We have seen that when a fiery principle of this kind moves we seem to have a shooting-star: similarly when it stands still we seem to have a star standing still." Aristotle believed comets could be formed ''from'' stars: "But when the exhalation is constituted by one of the fixed stars or the planets, owing to their motion, one of them becomes a comet. The fringe is not close to the stars themselves."</ref>}}A '''comet''' is a small [[solar system]] body, of irregular shape, composed of [[water]] ice, frozen [[gas]] and non-volatile [[dust]]. They are in highly eccentric [[orbit]]s around the [[sun]], with apo[[apsis|apsides]] varying from 4 AU to 30 AU (in the [[Kuiper belt]]) and beyond. The relatively short life span of comets has provoked a still-unsettled debate concerning their origins. This debate is one of the most important of all debates between [[creationism|creationists]] and non-creationists.<ref name=Yeomans>Yeomans, Donald K. "[http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar125580 Comet]." ''World Book Online Reference Center.'' 2005. World Book, Inc. Accessed July 20, 2008</ref><ref name=Hamilton>Hamilton, Calvin J. "[http://www.solarviews.com/eng/comet.htm Comet Introduction]." ''Views of the Solar System'', 1997-2005. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=Arnett>Arnett, William. "[http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html Comets]." ''The <s>Nine</s>8 Planets'', May 1, 2003. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=space>Authors unnamed. "[http://www.space.com/comets/ Comets]." <http://www.space.com/>, n.d. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=Jewitt>Jewitt, David C. "[http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/comet.html Comet page]." December 9, 1997. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=Brown>Brown, Walter. "[http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/Comets.html The Origin of Comets]." ''In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood'', online book, 1995-2008. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref>

[[Image:Comet wild 2.jpg|right|thumb|Photograph of the comet code named ''Wild 2''|250px]]{{etymology|The word "comet" first appears in [[Aristotle]]'s ''Meteorology,'' and derives from the Greek ''komē,'' hair.<ref>[http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/meteorology.1.i.html Meteorology, part 1], translation by E. W. Webster. See part 7: "The kind of comet varies according to the shape which the exhalation happens to take. If it is diffused equally on every side the star is said to be fringed, if it stretches out in '''Brothers of Italy''' is a [[conservative]] political party in [[Italy]]. It has become a moderately-sized party allied with [[Lega Nord]]. Its leader is Giorgia Meloni.<ref>Zampano, Giada (October 18, 2019). [https://www.apnews.com/fa37b62daab246f2a9ccb0887284aaee Giorgia Meloni is rising star on Italy's far-right stage]. ''Associated Press''. Retrieved October 28, 2019.</ref>

 

 

 

direction it is called bearded. We have seen that when a fiery principle of this kind moves we seem to have a shooting-star: similarly when it stands still we seem to have a star standing still." Aristotle believed comets could be formed ''from'' stars: "But when the exhalation is constituted by one of the fixed stars or the planets, owing to their motion, one of them becomes a comet. The fringe is not close to the stars themselves."</ref>}}A '''comet''' is a small [[solar system]] body, of irregular shape, composed of [[water]] ice, frozen [[gas]] and non-volatile [[dust]]. They are in highly eccentric [[orbit]]s around the [[sun]], with apo[[apsis|apsides]] varying from 4 AU to 30 AU (in the [[Kuiper belt]]) and beyond. The relatively short life span of comets has provoked a still-unsettled debate concerning their origins. This debate is one of the most important of all debates between [[creationism|creationists]] and non-creationists.<ref name=Yeomans>Yeomans, Donald K. "[http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar125580 Comet]." ''World Book Online Reference Center.'' 2005. World Book, Inc. Accessed July 20, 2008</ref><ref name=Hamilton>Hamilton, Calvin J. "[http://www.solarviews.com/eng/comet.htm Comet Introduction]." ''Views of the Solar System'', 1997-2005. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=Arnett>Arnett, William. "[http://www.nineplanets.org/comets.html Comets]." ''The <s>Nine</s>8 Planets'', May 1, 2003. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=space>Authors unnamed. "[http://www.space.com/comets/ Comets]." <http://www.space.com/>, n.d. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=Jewitt>Jewitt, David C. "[http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/comet.html Comet page]." December 9, 1997. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref><ref name=Brown>Brown, Walter. "[http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/Comets.html The Origin of Comets]." ''In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood'', online book, 1995-2008. Accessed July 20, 2008.</ref>

== History of Comet Observation and Exploration ==

== History of Comet Observation and Exploration ==