ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Comet seeker

Okay kiddo, you know what a comet is right? It's a big ball of ice and dust that flies around in space. Well, scientists and space explorers like to study these comets so they can learn more about them. One way they do this is by using something called a comet seeker.

Think of a comet seeker like a special camera that they send up into space on a spacecraft. This camera takes pictures and measurements of the comet as it gets closer and closer to it. Scientists can use this information to learn all kinds of things about the comet, like what it's made of, how big it is, and where it came from.

But finding comets is tricky because they can be very far away and hard to spot. So the spacecraft that carries the comet seeker has to travel really fast and really far to get to the comet. Once it's there, the comet seeker can do its job and take all those cool pictures and measurements.

So that's what a comet seeker does, it helps scientists learn more about comets by taking pictures and measurements. Pretty cool, huh?