Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 minutes ago
Comets are some of the most beautiful objects in space and we’ve actually explored them up close. Today is comets 101. I explain exactly what a comet is, where they come from, and how they form those colorful glowing tails as they approach the Sun. We’ll highlight NASA’s Deep Impact mission that crashed a probe into a comet (intentionally), and ESA’s Rosetta mission which studied Comet 67P up close. From the distant Oort Cloud to their high-speed journeys through space, comets have fascinating stories to tell.
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - What are comets?
01:23 - Why do comets have tails?
02:38 - What does a comet look like up close?
03:49 - What happens when a comet hits a planet?
04:52 - Like exploring space?
Comets are some of the most beautiful objects in space and we’ve actually explored them up close. Today is comets 101. I explain exactly what a comet is, where they come from, and how they form those colorful glowing tails as they approach the Sun. We’ll highlight NASA’s Deep Impact mission that crashed a probe into a comet (intentionally), and ESA’s Rosetta mission which studied Comet 67P up close. From the distant Oort Cloud to their high-speed journeys through space, comets have fascinating stories to tell.
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - What are comets?
01:23 - Why do comets have tails?
02:38 - What does a comet look like up close?
03:49 - What happens when a comet hits a planet?
04:52 - Like exploring space?
