• Adventure
  • Auto
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Home & Garden
  • Money
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Video
  • Shows
  • Blogs
  • Quizzes
  • Games
  • Random Article
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Science
  • Forces of Nature
  • Innovation
  • Military
  • Physical Science
  • Science Dictionary
  • Science Versus Myth
  • Space
  • Transportation
  • Home / 
  • Science / 
  • Science Dictionary / 
  • Astronomy Terms

by Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

More Stuff Like This

Stuff to Blow Your Kid's Mind
Stuff to Blow Your Kid's Mind
Stuff to Blow Your Mind Photo Contest: Win an iPad!
Stuff to Blow Your Mind Photo Contest: Win an iPad!
Which time travel movie will you choose as the worst ever?
Which time travel movie will you choose as the worst ever?
10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking
10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking
  • Page
  • 5
    Comets Can Break Apart
  • 6
    NASA's Stardust Mission
  • 7
    Observing Comets
  • 8
    Lots More Information
  • Lots More Information

    Related HowStuffWorks Articles

    • How the Sun Works
    • How Light Works
    • How Solar Sails Will Work
    • Saturn Explained

    More Great Links

    • Comet Observation Home Page
    • Comets Currently Visible
    • Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9: Collision with Jupiter
    • Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards
    • Near-Live Comet Watching System
    • Comet Hale-Bopp Home Page
    • Comets and Meteor Showers
    • Sky & Telescope Magazine's Comet Page
    • NASA's Stardust Mission to Comet Wild Home Page
    • Educator's Guide to the Stardust Mission
    • Space Telescope Science Intitute: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's Encounter With Jupiter
    • National Air and Space Museum: Exploring Comets
    • Teacher Lesson Plan: Anatomy of a Comet
    • Teacher Lesson Plan: Comet Cones
    • Giotto Mission to Halley's Comet
    • Comet Hale-Bopp for Kids
    • The ICQ Comet Information Web site
    • Comet Observing
    • NOVA: Comets 101
    • Small Comets
    • Comets, a site that offers beginner, intermediate and advanced explanations
    • StarChild Learning Center for Young Astronomers: Comets
    • Comet Introduction
    • The Comet Watch Program
    • American Scientist: Perturbing the Oort Cloud
    Print
    Cite This!
    Close 
    Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article:

    Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig.  "How Comets Work"  31 October 2000.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/comet.htm>  24 May 2012.
    Cite
    Feedback
  • Page
  • 1
    Introduction to How Comets Work
  • 2
    What is a Comet?
  • 3
    The Path of a Comet
  • 4
    Parts of a Comet
  • 5
    Comets Can Break Apart
  • 6
    NASA's Stardust Mission
  • 7
    Observing Comets
  • 8
    Lots More Information
  • All Things Science

    10 Incredible Wind Power Facts
    10 Incredible Wind Power Facts
    10 Remarkable Exoplanets
    10 Remarkable Exoplanets
    Fact or Fiction: Earthquake Quiz
    Fact or Fiction: Earthquake Quiz
    Top 10 Things That Women Invented
    Top 10 Things That Women Invented
    Strange, Spooky, Scary: The Supernatural Quiz
    Strange, Spooky, Scary: The Supernatural Quiz
    Watch 100 Greatest Discoveries videos »

    You Might Also Like

    How Albert Einstein's Brain Worked

    E=mc2. The theory of relativity. An understanding of the speed of light. The idea that led to the completion of the atomic bomb. These ideas all came from one man's brain: Albert Einstein's.

    How Freemasons Work

    The Freemasons is a secret organization that began in the 1700s and is still in existence today. Who are the Freemasons? And what do they do in their secret meetings?

    Popular Articles

    • Sagan, Carl
    • Pieter Zeeman
    • Walter Houser Brattain
    • MOST WATCHED
    • MOST READ
    • MOST WATCHED

      • Stuff to Blow Your Kid's Mind
      • Stuff You Should Know on Science
      • The Stuff of Genius
      • Stuff They Don't Want You to Know
      • 10 Ways the World Will End
    • MOST READ

      • 10 Future Inventions We Can't Wait to See
      • How Quantum Suicide Works
      • 10 Cool Facts About Stephen Hawking
      • The 10 Most Prevalent Forms of Torture
      • Fact or Fiction: Earthquake Quiz

    Don't Miss

    The Worst Time Travel Movie Ever
    The Worst Time Travel Movie Ever
    The most mind-blowing pic wins an iPad!
    The most mind-blowing pic wins an iPad!
    Stuff They Don't Want You to Know
    Stuff They Don't Want You to Know

    CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS

    STUFF NATION NEWSLETTER THE HOW BEHIND TODAY'S NEWS
    HOWSTUFFWORKS
    • Adventure
    • Auto
    • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Health
    • Home & Garden
    • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Science
    • Tech
    MORE STUFF
    • Blogs
    • Games
    • HSW Tools
    • RSS
    • Maps
    • Podcasts
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • Video
    OUR WEBSITES
    • Animal Planet
    • Consumer Guide Auto
    • Consumer Guide Products
    • Discovery Channel
    • Discovery Fit & Health
    • HSW Brazil
    • HSW China HowStuffWorks China
    • Investigation Discovery
    • Oprah Winfrey Network
    • Planet Green
    • Science Channel
    • TLC
    • Discovery Education
    • Store
    CUSTOMER SERVICE
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Help
    CORPORATE
    • About Us
    • Careers @ Discovery
    • Privacy Policy
    • Visitor Agreement
    TAKE US WITH YOU
    FOLLOW US
    © 1998-2012 HowStuffWorks, Inc