comet: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

General introductory works are John C. Brandt and Robert D. Chapman, Introduction to Comets, 2nd ed. (2003, reissued 2005); Jacques Crovisier and Thérèse Encrenaz, Comet Science: The Study of Remnants From the Birth of the Solar System, trans. from the French by Stephen Lyle (2000); Armand H. Delsemme, “Whence Come Comets?” Sky and Telescope, 77(3):260-264 (March 1989), an elementary discussion on their origin; Fred L. Whipple and Daniel W.E. Green, The Mystery of Comets (1985); and Robert D. Chapman and John C. Brandt, The Comet Book: A Guide for the Return of Halley’s Comet (1984), a historical treatment. Brian G. Marsden and Gareth V. Williams, Catalogue of Cometary Orbits, 16th ed. (2005), covers 2,221 cometary orbits, with detailed references and notes; a complementary work is Gary W. Kronk, Cometography: A Catalog of Comets, 2 vol. (1999–2003). More-advanced works are R.L. Newburn, Jr., M. Neugebauer, and J. Rahe (eds.), Comets in the Post-Halley Era, 2 vol. (1991), containing reviews, summaries, and scientific papers by about one hundred authors; and K.S. Krishna Swamy, Physics of Comets, 2nd ed. (1997). Donald K. Yeomans, Comets: A Chronological History of Observation, Science, Myth, and Folklore (1991), is a comprehensive reference book on all cometary apparitions, full of anecdotes and highly recommended.

Armand H. Delsemme

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Armand H. Delsemme
  • Paul Weissman
    Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute, Pasadena, California. He has worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Asteroid 3197 Weissman is named for him.

Other Contributors

  • DANA MIX

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: Royal Museums Greenwich - Comets. Sep 27, 2024
Add new Web site: The Planets - Comet Facts. Feb 28, 2024
Add new Web site: University of Central Florida Pressbooks - The Origin and Fate of Comets and Related Objects. Nov 17, 2023
Add new Web site: The Nine Planets - Comet Facts. Aug 21, 2023
Add new Web site: Physics LibreTexts - Comets. May 12, 2023
Added material about interstellar objects. Mar 07, 2023
Add new Web site: Idaho Public Television - Science Trek - Asteroids and Comets: Facts. Mar 07, 2022
Add new Web site: Space.com - Comets: Facts about the 'dirty snowballs' of space. Mar 07, 2022
Corrected display issue. Dec 19, 2018
Add new Web site: ThoughtCo. - What are Comets? Mar 29, 2018
Changed distance at which Halley's Comet passed by Earth in 1910 from 0.14 AU to 0.15 AU. May 13, 2016
Media added. May 13, 2016
Article thoroughly revised and updated. Oct 02, 2015
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Science and Space - Asteroids and Comets. Feb 04, 2013
Add new Web site: Kids Astronomy - Our Solar System - Comets. Jan 29, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Comet. Jan 29, 2013
Add new Web site: Royal Museums Greenwich - Comets. Jan 29, 2013
Add new Web site: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum - Exploring the Planets - Exploring Comets. Jan 29, 2013
Add new Web site: HyperPhysics - Comet. Nov 29, 2012
Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids! - Comet Facts for Kids. Mar 16, 2012
Added image of Encke's Comet being hit by a coronal mass ejection. Feb 09, 2012
Add new Web site: NeoK12 - Educational Videos and Games for School Kids - Comet. Nov 03, 2011
Add new Web site: Fact Monster - Science - Comet. Sep 22, 2011
Add new Web site: Indian Child - Uranus. Jul 22, 2011
Add new Web site: The Canadian Encyclopedia - Comet. Aug 13, 2010
Added photographs of Comet Halley. Mar 22, 2010
Media added. Nov 24, 2009
Section on comet designations updated. Nov 24, 2009
Added new Web site: National Geographic - Science - Asteroids and Comets. Apr 17, 2009
Added new Web site: Sea and Sky - Asteroids and Comets. Apr 16, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How Comets Work. Feb 11, 2009
Added new Web site: Office of Naval Research - Observing the Sky: Other Celestial Bodies - Comets. May 19, 2008
Added new Web site: Office of Naval Research - Naval Research: Comets. May 19, 2008
Added new Web site: Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy - Comets. Apr 09, 2008
Added new Web site: The Planetary Society - Asteroids and Comets. Feb 28, 2008
Bibliography revised. Nov 10, 2006
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Our Solar System. Jul 07, 2006
Added new Web site: University of Tennessee - Astronomy 161: The Solar System. Jun 30, 2006
Added new Web site: Multiverse - SEGway - The Comet's Tale. Jun 19, 2006
Added new Web site: The Nine Planets - Phobos. Jun 08, 2006
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - All About Astronomy. May 26, 2006
Added new Web site: Astronomy Magazine. May 12, 2006
Article revised. Jun 16, 2005
Article revised. May 17, 2002
Article added to new online database. Jul 26, 1999
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