Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
How to tell a Comet from a Meteor
Select a night to go outside to observe comets and meteors. "Sky and Telescope" magazine as well as "National Geographic" and NASA report when comets are expected to be visible, particularly to the naked eye. Most comets require the use of a telescope to be seen, so if you want to see a comet, you will need to select a date when one will be visible and bring a telescope or binoculars with you.
Go to a dark spot at night which is devoid of bright lights. If you live in the city, this will mean getting outside of developed neighborhoods to a rural or undeveloped area. Spread out a blanket on the ground and lay down on your back to gain a wide view of the nighttime sky.
Look for shooting stars. Shooting stars are, in fact, meteors. As the meteor enters earth's atmosphere, it becomes extremely hot and bright. This heat and brightness makes it seem to streak across the nighttime sky like a shooting star. Comets make definite orbits around the sun that leave meteors in their wake. When the Earth enters a comet's path, it experiences meteor showers from the comet's tail that result in many observable meteors at predictable times of the year. April, June, August, October and November are common months for meteor showers. Look for shooting stars during these months to observe meteors. When you see bright spots that move quickly in the sky and fade out, you know that you have observed a meteor.
Look for comets. Comets orbit the sun in definite, observable paths. Some comets are visible to the naked eye for weeks at a time, as they make their methodical paths. Many can only be seen with binoculars or telescopes. Look for a cloudy glow which is the comet's tail as it passes through the night sky. The gas and dust in a comet's tail reflect off of the sun making it visible to humans on Earth. When you see a bright glowing cloud -like spot moving across the sky, you will know that you have observed a comet.