Solar System: Famous Comets
Learn more about some famous comets including Halley’s, Hale-Bopp, Shoemaker-Levy 9, and Hyakutake. Includes photographs and animations. There is also a link to an eThemes Resource on comets that provides a basic overview.
Grades
- 4,
- 5,
- 6,
- 7
Links
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PBS: Comet
Learn more about the Comet Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake. The article compares the size and composition of Hale-Bopp and Halley.
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Some Major Comets from Zoom Astronomy
Learn more about Halley's Comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9, Comet LINEAR, and Hale-Bopp. Includes a table with data that compares the different comets.
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Halley's Comet
This short article is about Halley's comet. The links at the top provide three different reading levels.
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Comet Halley
This site offers good illustrations showing the orbit of Comet Halley.
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Fact Monster: Halley's Comet
This is an encyclopedia entry about Halley's comet.
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Comet Hale-Bopp
This site has basic information about comets, including the famous Comet Hale-Bopp.
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Comet Hyakutake Image Archive
Click on the links to view images of Comet Hyakutake.
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Famous Comets
This page introduces several well-known comets. Includes photographs.
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BBC: Space
This site offers a comparison of the dimensions and orbital periods of Halley's and Hale-Bopp comets. Includes a video.
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Planetary Society
Read about comets and asteroids.
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Welcome to the Planets
Start the tour with "Ida and Moon" and work your way through the famous comets and their impacts. Select the audio button to listen to narration. Click on the magnified glass button to enlarge images.
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DS1 Archives
View images of Borrelly comet and the spacecraft that flew by it. Learn about the Deep Space 1 mission and the comet.
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eThemes Resource: Solar System: Comets
These sites are about the composition, orbits, and characteristics of comets. Includes photographs, video clips, hands-on activities, online games, and quizzes.
Education Standards
