Science Common Sense

1018 - What is the difference between a comet and an asteroid?

Comets and asteroids are both objects in our solar system, but they're different.

Asteroids are like big rocks in space. They're mostly found in a special area between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids don't have much air or water around them.

Comets are also objects in space, but they have a lot of ice (like water and other gases) that melts when they get close to the sun. This creates a long, bright tail of gas and dust. Comets usually come from the outer parts of our solar system.

Think of it like a big rock (asteroid) and a snowball (comet) that melts when it gets warm.