The circle in the center of this display depicts the orbit of Mars. Click orbit and it will join the inner planets or outer planets already selected. Information for some of the more important comets and asteroids follows below. The parameter i is the angle of the plane of the orbit with the plane of the Earth's orbit. Note that the orbital planes are often quite different from the Earth's orbital plane.
Comets contain matter left over from the formation of the solar system.
According to an explanation developed by J.H. Oort in 1950, comets originate in a cloud of comets, dust, and gases that lies in the range of 40,000 AU to 50,000 AU from the Sun. Asteroids are minor planets. All are relatively small, Ceres with a diameter greater than 940 kilometers is the largest, and only one, Vesta, is visible to the naked eye. He was correct and this comet was later named Halley in his honor. Today's information is more precise.