Whats is the difference between asteroids and comets ? 1. Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by rocky and metallic material. 2. Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, whi

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Q: 86 (IAS/2011)
Whats is the difference between asteroids and comets ?
1. Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by rocky and metallic material.
2. Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and Mercury.
3. Comets show a perceptible glowing tail, while asteroids do not.
Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?

question_subject: 

Geography

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,146,141,28,146,43,70

keywords: 

{'comets': [0, 0, 0, 3], 'asteroids': [2, 1, 1, 0], 'small rocky planetoids': [0, 0, 0, 1]}

Explanation:

Asteroids are small rocky planetoids, while comets are formed of frozen gases held together by rocky and metallic material. This statement is correct as asteroids are primarily made up of rocks and metals while comets are composed of frozen gases like water, methane, and ammonia, along with rocky and metallic material.

Asteroids are found mostly between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, while comets are found mostly between Venus and Mercury. This statement is incorrect as asteroids can be found in various locations in the solar system, and comets have orbits that can take them anywhere from the Kuiper Belt to the Oort Cloud.

Comets show a perceptible glowing tail, while asteroids do not. This statement is correct as comets have a visible tail, which is a result of solar radiation and solar wind interacting with the gas and dust released from the comet`s nucleus. Asteroids, on the other hand, do not have tails.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is "1 and 3 only".