Last post, we talked about the dwarf planet Sedna and some unique traits associated with it and the Oort Cloud. Today, we are going to be looking at the trillions of asteroids floating around out there. You wouldn't think that the tiny rocks way out there would have much effect on the inner solar system. The gravity would seem like it would be to weak to have any significant impact on the space rocks and would barely affect them. It is for this reason, the feebleness of the Sun's gravity on these bodies, that makes them so significant for the inner solar system. If the Sun had a stronger grip on them, they would be in tighter orbits, and we would never see them in our neck of the woods. But, due to gravitational interaction from nearby passing bodies, these rocks can get knocked off their orbit and end up traveling toward the Sun.
These bodies that get knocked off their orbit in the cloud are what we call comets. The Oort Cloud is the place where long-period comets are born. The distance from the sun and the temperature are what end up giving them their telltale signs as a comet. The make up of the comet, from being so far from the sun during its formation, is primarily dust and volatile ices, with a low density rocky/gravelly core. When a comet gets knocked toward the sun, the speed of the comet and the solar wind combined with the speed it is traveling make it hurtle off debris in 2 directions that it travels. One tail is primarily dust, and this one travels along the orbit line, so it will look more curved but a bit shorter, and it is leaving behind it a trail of dust and is generated by the low desnity rock falling off of the comet at it rips through space. The gas tail, or the Ion Tail is produced by the solar winds and will be pointing directly away from the sun, whether the comet is moving toward or away from it. The gas tail is made up of the volatile ices melting off of the comet by the sun's magnetically charged plasma and becoming charged particles.
Next time we will look at the unique shape of the Oort Cloud and why we believe it is like this even though we cannot see it.
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