Signs of the Quran - Astronomy

Khunnas, kawakib, tariq (not taraiq), shams, qamar and najm, are the Quranic words for heavenly or celestial bodies. The Khunnas are like planets, but other than these they appear and disappear in alternating phases, the kawakib are the orbiting planets, najm is a star, tariq a very bright night-or morning-star, in fact a planet, like Venus. Shams is the sun and qamar the moon. These bodies are clearly distinguished by their character and roles in the Quran.

Bodies the size of planets that "come and go" is a precise description of comets. They also "go straight", meaning that they have a relatively large orbit seeming straight, not round. These turn fast and far cycles around solar systems and disappear, "hide", after passing. It can take them years, decades, centuries or millennia to return.

Haley's comet is one of these. These bodies are important for the distribution of materials from distant galaxies, such as iron (see Universe & Life, Elements). Meteors are showers of debris from such comets that return periodically in 50-10000 years, travel very far and can reach the outskirts of the galaxy-cluster (see Universe & Space, Structure)