A comet is a small icy body that travels around the Sun. Most of the time it is far away and dark, and we cannot see it at all.

A comet is a small icy bodyComet（彗星）是一種小型冰狀天體， that travels around the Sun繞著太陽轉。Most of the time大部分時間 it is far away and dark它離我們很遠，而且是暗的， and we cannot see it at all我們根本看不到它。

When it comes close enough, some of the ice turns to gas and dust, and that streams out behind it in a long bright tail. You do not see a sharp little point, the way you see most stars; it looks fuzzy, and the tail can hang in the sky for nights, not for one second.

When it comes close enough當它靠得夠近的時候， some of the ice turns to gas and dust一部分的冰會變成氣體和塵埃， and that streams out behind it然後在它後面拖出 in a long bright tail一條長長的亮尾巴。You do not see a sharp little point你看到的不會是清晰的一個小點， the way you see most stars像你看大部分星星那樣； it looks fuzzy它看起來是模糊的， and the tail can hang in the sky for nights而且那條尾巴可以在天空中掛好幾個晚上， not for one second不是一閃即逝。

People once thought that tail looked like long hair flying in the wind, so the old name meant “long-haired star.” Though actually, a shooting star is not a comet — a shooting star is a tiny rock burning up in our air, and it is gone in a blink.

People once thought that tail looked like long hair flying in the wind人們曾經覺得那條尾巴看起來像是被風吹起的長頭髮， so the old name meant "long-haired star"所以古老的名字意思是「長髮星」。Though actually不過話說回來， a shooting star is not a cometshooting star（流星）並不是comet—— a shooting star is a tiny rock burning up in our air流星是一顆在我們的大氣層裡燒起來的小石頭， and it is gone in a blink一閃就沒了。

There is also a famous reindeer named Comet in the old Christmas poem about St. Nicholas. That is this same sky-word used as a name, not a second kind of space object.

There is also a famous reindeer named Comet也有一隻有名的馴鹿叫Comet， in the old Christmas poem在古老的聖誕詩裡， about St. Nicholas講的是St. Nicholas（聖尼可拉斯）。That那 is this same sky-word used as a name是同一個天文字被拿來當作名字用， not a second kind of space object並不是另一種太空物體。