What is the difference between a comet and asteroid?

Comets and asteroids are both small solar system bodies, but they differ mainly in composition and behavior. Comets are made of ice, dust, and rocky material, and when they travel close to the Sun, the ice vaporizes and creates a bright glowing tail called a coma. They typically originate from the outer solar system, such as the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud. Asteroids, on the other hand, are rocky or metallic objects with little to no ice content, so they do not develop tails. They are mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. In short, the key distinction is that comets contain significant amounts of ice and produce visible tails, while asteroids are dry, rocky bodies that do not.