The Oort Cloud is theorized to be the source of many comets.

The Oort Cloud is theorized to be the source of many comets.

• A. Oort Cloud
• B. Kuiper Belt
• C. Asteroid Belt
• D. Zodiacal Cloud

Answer: (A)

Comets come from reservoirs of icy bodies in the outer solar system. The Oort Cloud is a distant, roughly spherical shell surrounding the Sun that is believed to contain many of these icy objects. When gravitational nudges from stars or the galaxy perturb their orbits, some wander inward and become visible as long-period comets, often appearing from random directions and taking many decades to millennia to complete an orbit. This makes the Oort Cloud the primary source associated with the idea that many comets originate from far out in the solar system. In contrast, the Kuiper Belt is a disk-shaped region beyond Neptune that mainly supplies short-period comets, which orbit the Sun more quickly. The Asteroid Belt, between Mars and Jupiter, is rocky rather than icy and is not a major source of comets. The Zodiacal Cloud is a dust cloud along the plane of the solar system, producing visible sunlight scattering (zodiacal light) but not acting as a source of comets. So the statement aligns with the concept that long-period comets originate from the Oort Cloud.

Comets come from reservoirs of icy bodies in the outer solar system. The Oort Cloud is a distant, roughly spherical shell surrounding the Sun that is believed to contain many of these icy objects. When gravitational nudges from stars or the galaxy perturb their orbits, some wander inward and become visible as long-period comets, often appearing from random directions and taking many decades to millennia to complete an orbit. This makes the Oort Cloud the primary source associated with the idea that many comets originate from far out in the solar system.

In contrast, the Kuiper Belt is a disk-shaped region beyond Neptune that mainly supplies short-period comets, which orbit the Sun more quickly. The Asteroid Belt, between Mars and Jupiter, is rocky rather than icy and is not a major source of comets. The Zodiacal Cloud is a dust cloud along the plane of the solar system, producing visible sunlight scattering (zodiacal light) but not acting as a source of comets. So the statement aligns with the concept that long-period comets originate from the Oort Cloud.