What will happen to Comet Holmes?

[Strontium]

These threads are annoying, as I dont have much cash to spend on a telescope!

I have a general question about this comet though, and I know bits and pieces about astronomy - no expert. If the comet has a more circular orbit so close to the sun, (is it actually part of the asteroid belt called a main belt comet?) does it mean it has something to do with the theory of the planet that might have existed there, or failed to form, and if so is the composition likely not to be exactly the same as other commets from the kuiper belt etc? Just interested if this may be why its not so stable, more rocky ect. Could solar activity make it flare up more?

[carlos_dfc]

Originally Posted by Strontium

If the comet has a more circular orbit so close to the sun, (is it actually part of the asteroid belt called a main belt comet?) does it mean it has something to do with the theory of the planet that might have existed there, or failed to form.....

The material left over from planet formation in the inner solar system is generally rocky - whereas comets formed further out, and are mostly ice. Some ateroids actually have orbits that are pretty similar to comets.
Main belt asteroids are thought to be from - as you say - either a planet that failed to form, or a planetessimal that broke up (probably because it was too near to Jupiter, and was constantly tugged at by Jupiter's gravity)

Difference being, that comets didn't originate in the inner solar system, and because they 'outgas' material on every orbit, they only have a limited lifespan in the inner solar system, before they either fade away, or break up. Much less than the 5 billion years that the SS has been in existence

Comets 'fall' into the inner SS due to gravitational purturbations from other objects out there - they then fall in towards the Sun,
The vast majority are catapulted back out again, after passing the Sun, never to be seen again.
Very occasionally though, one will come in at just the right speed and angle to go into a stable orbit - or may pass close to a planet's gravitational field and have it's trajectory altered so that it can go into a stable orbit.

Remember Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 ??
It passed close to Jupiter on it's way in, Jupiter's gravity made it simultaneosly break up, and go into an unstable orbit which brought it back to Jupiter - on it's next pass close to the giant planet, it was drawn in and crahed into jupiter's cloud-tops.

The periodoc comets we see now, will have all fallen into the innner SS at some point within the last hundred million years or so.