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Comet

Science
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An icy body that develops a glowing coma and tail when it approaches the sun. Its orbit may carry it far beyond the planets.

Detailed Definition
A comet is made largely of ice, dust, and rock, often traveling in a long elliptical path around the sun. As solar heat releases gas and dust from its surface, a bright coma and tail form, with the tail pointing away from the sun. In poetry, a comet can signify recurrence, omen, exile, or a brilliant passing visitor. Its visible splendor emerges from loss, since each approach sheds material into space and leaves the traveler changed.
Example
Example in poetry:
Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Comet” uses the celestial visitor as a startling presence in the familiar sky; “The comet dragged its bright tail across the dark,” gives a visual image of ice and dust illuminated near the Sun; A poet can use a comet’s long orbit for reunion: “Like a comet, you return only after generations”; “Its nucleus warmed, and the comet began to shed a shining veil,” introduces the science behind its tail.
Additional Notes
A comet is ice and dust in orbit; sunlight creates its glowing coma and tail. Its rare return can suggest omen, memory, or recurrence.
Other Meanings of “Comet”
Also Known As
Tailed Star Hairy Star
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