Comets Are Not Forever
By Michael Werner, Peter Eisenhardt
These time capsules of the early Solar System can break apart during their journey around the Sun, releasing water and dust.
These time capsules of the early Solar System can break apart during their journey around the Sun, releasing water and dust.
Comets bring messages from the earliest days of the Solar System, messages that were composed as the comets formed and have remained frozen in them for eons. In their frozen state, in the far reaches of the Solar System, comets are kilometer-sized conglomerates of Solar System debris—rocks, dust, ices, and carbon-rich material.
Courtesy ESO
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