Comment by CJF-JadeTalon on 03/07/2024 at 23:36 UTC

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View submission: What was this object

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waht? but, meteors are a common sight, no?

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Comment by mankytaint at 03/07/2024 at 23:44 UTC

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Meteors are usually specks of dust. If something was this bright and this fast and in particular in our atmosphere- we’d be in deep caca

Comment by MCdumbledore at 03/07/2024 at 23:44 UTC

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Yes, they are. But meteors and comets are quite different. Meteors are solid rocks made up of mostly iron, what you see when you see a meteor is them skipping off the upper atmosphere and either partially or completely combusting from the friction. Comets are made up of ice other rocks that come from the Oort Cloud out past Neptune and Pluto. When you see a comet you’re seeing the off gassing of ice and liquids as they warm up and are illuminated by the sun as it nears it in their orbit.