Nucleus of Comets
Comets are composed of antimatter and range from 100 kilometers in diameter (10 15 metric tons) to 100 meters in diameter (million metric tons). The nucleus of comets are similar to asteroids & meteors except the nucleus is composed of antimatter.
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The picture of Halley's nucleus shows the matter & antimatter annihilations taking place. The comet is blacker than coal. Only about ten percent of the comet's surface is active. The light and x-rays coming from the comet's surface are produced from matter & antimatter collisions. When solar wind & interstellar dust particles hit the comet, antimatter fragments, dust and ions are driven off and become a part of the comet's Dusty Tail. The annihilation heat up the comet's surface to 300 to 400 degrees Kelvin. The high energy antimatter ions jets out the back of the comet become part of the comet's Ion Tail. The comet's surface is reduces in size every time the comet orbits the sun. Courtesy of the European Space Agency's Giotto Spacecraft |
The average size of comets is one kilometer. The comet's kinetic energy, mass (density of 2 grams/cm3), diameters, and matter-antimatter energy are:
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Nucleus of Comets |
| Kinetic Energy (30 km/sec) |
Mass (grams) |
Diameter (centimeters) |
Matter-Antimatter Energy |
4.5 x 10 33 ergs |
10 21 g (10 15 MT) |
10 7 cm (100 km) |
9 x 10 41 ergs |
4.5 x 10 30 ergs |
10 18 g (10 12 MT) |
10 6 cm (10 km) |
9 x 10 38 ergs |
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4.5 x 10 27 ergs |
10 15 g (10 9 MT) | 10 5 cm (km) |
9 x 10 35 ergs |
| 4.5 x 10 24 ergs | 10 12 g (10 6 MT) | 10 4 cm (100 m) | 9 x 10 32 ergs |
| 4.5 x 10 21 ergs | 10 9 g (10 3 MT) | 10 3 cm (10 m) | 9 x 10 29 ergs |
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The energy released from matter &
antimatter collisions is 200 million times larger than |
If a small asteroid has a direct hit the nucleus of comet, the collision resulted in an enormous explosion from the matter-antimatter energy. For example, a small asteroid collided with the Comet LINEAR 1999 S4 and split the comet into fragments.