A comet is an icy, small Solar System body or interstellar object that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or coma surrounding the nucleus, and sometimes a tail of gas and dust gas blown out from the coma. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation and the outstreaming solar wind plasma acting upon the nucleus of the comet. Comet nuclei range from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers across and are composed of loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles. The coma may be up to 15 times Earth's diameter, while the tail may stretch beyond one astronomical unit.
Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft)
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body or interstellar object that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing.
Historical Significance
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body or interstellar object that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing.
Events Before
The government of Cuba is handed over to the US from Spanish rule; American occupation continues until 1902
The Military Government of the Philippine Islands (Spanish: Gobierno militar de los Estados Unidos en las Islas Filipinas; Tagalog: Pamahalaang Militar ng Estados Unidos sa Kapuluang Pilipinas) was a...
Rubber heel for boots or shoes is patented by American Humphrey O'Sullivan
Rubber heel for boots or shoes is patented by American Humphrey O'Sullivan
Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is patented by Felix Hoffmann at the German company Bayer
Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), an organic compound that does not occur in nature, was first synthesised in 1899.
W. G. Grace's last day of Test cricket at age 50 years and 320 days
W. G. Grace's last day of Test cricket at age 50 years and 320 days
American businessman James Cash Penney (24) weds Bertha Alva Hess (29ish), until her death in 1910
American businessman James Cash Penney (24) weds Bertha Alva Hess (29ish), until her death in 1910
Events After
The Commonwealth of Australia is formed when the British (Imperial) Parliament Act and the Commonwealth of Australia Con
The Commonwealth of Australia is formed when the British (Imperial) Parliament Act and the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 come into effect
Tennis champ Charlotte Cooper (30) weds solicitor Alfred Sterry
Tennis champ Charlotte Cooper (30) weds solicitor Alfred Sterry
Queen Victoria's funeral takes place in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about 25 miles (40 km) west of central London.
Queen Wilhelmina marries Prince Heinrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Queen Victoria, the British monarch from 1837 to 1901, and Prince Albert (her husband from 1840 until his death in 1861) had 9 children, 42 grandchildren, and 87 great-grandchildren.
Edmund Barton is elected Prime Minister in Australia's first federal election
Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton (18 January 1849 – 7 January 1920) was an Australian politician, barrister and jurist who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903.
More from the 1900s
First Powered Flight by the Wright Brothers
Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
science technology
Conference of 23 industrial trade unionists in Chicago, Illinois, issues the Industrial Union Manifesto, calling for a c
Conference of 23 industrial trade unionists in Chicago, Illinois, issues the Industrial Union Manifesto, calling for a convention in Chicago in June and laying the groundwork for the formation of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
death
James Longstreet dies
James Longstreet, Confederate confederate army general, known for confederate army general, died on 1904-01-02.
1st Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Michigan defeats Stanford 49-0; MVP: Michigan fullback Neil Snow
1st Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Michigan defeats Stanford 49-0; MVP: Michigan fullback Neil Snow
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on December 20, 1900?
- A comet is an icy, small Solar System body or interstellar object that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or coma surrounding the nucleus, and sometimes a tail of gas and dust gas blown out from the coma. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation and the outstreaming solar wind plasma acting upon the nucleus of the comet.
- Why is Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft) significant?
- A comet is an icy, small Solar System body or interstellar object that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing.