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krispos42

(49,445 posts)

7. Probably one that has had most of the ice boiled off.

Reply to lob1 (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 31, 2015, 05:30 PM

Oct 2015

Comets are balls of frozen gasses... Not just water ice but frozen carbon dioxide, frozen methane, frozen nitrogen, frozen oxygen, etc.

The stuff with the lowest freezing point vaporizes the most as the comet is warmed by the sun. Eventually, over hundreds or thousands of flybys, there's not much left to boil away.

That's my interpretation, at least.

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Highlight:

Skull-shaped asteroid will fly past Earth on Halloween [View all] RandySF Oct 2015 OP

BOO!!! greytdemocrat Oct 2015 #1

The article calls it a "dead comet". What's a dead comet? lob1 Oct 2015 #2

A comet head no longer giving off a tail, probably had all the volatiles burned off already Fumesucker Oct 2015 #5

Probably one that has had most of the ice boiled off. krispos42 Oct 2015 #7

One that had an unfortunate encounter with the Michael Meyers comet pinboy3niner Oct 2015 #8

Perfect! A giant flying skull! peacebird Oct 2015 #3

IT HUNGERS Warren DeMontague Oct 2015 #4

The cosmos has an exellent sense of humor. nt hifiguy Oct 2015 #6

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Where would they get such an idea? Octafish Oct 2015 #10

It looks worried Martin Eden Oct 2015 #11