|
A class of comets that have orbits with similar characteristics. Members of a group (or family) of comets are not necessarily close to each other in space. The most notable examples are the group of short-period comets, which have come under the gravitational influence of the planet Jupiter and have orbital periods typically between 6 and 8 years, and the so-called sungrazers, long-period comets that virtually skim the Sun's outer layers at perihelion passage and share other orbital similarities.
|