2. Introduction

"The Comet" is a poem by Norman Littleford. It describes 'a comet in full flight', bringing out its beauty and magnificence.

 

The \(24\) line poem is divided into \(6\) stanzas with \(4\) lines each. It is written in the \(ABCB\) rhyme scheme.

 

 

A comet is an icy and tiny solar system body made up of frozen gases, rock, and dust that heats and emits gases into a massive, luminous head larger than most planets when it passes close to the sun. The comet's dust and gases generate a tail that reaches millions of miles away from the sun.
 
Though comets are said to be "tiny solar system bodies", they are quite massive. For instance, when frozen, they are the size of a small town. They are also abundantly present as billions of comets surround our sun. However, "the current number of known comets is \(3,743\)".**
 
Comets orbit the sun in the same way as planets and asteroids do, except that a comet's orbit is usually quite long.