Comet Symbol (☄)
The comet symbol ☄ is Unicode U+2604, a comet with its tail. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+2604- HTML
☄- Word
2604 Alt+X
How to type the comet symbol (☄)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ☄ yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 2604 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + . to open the emoji panel, then search for “comet”.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for comet and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2604.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2604, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy ☄ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;come. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy ☄ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2604, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2604 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “comet” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(9732)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
☄or☄in your HTML.
What does ☄ mean?
☄ shows a comet: a small icy body whose glowing tail streams away from the Sun. It has been in Unicode since 1993 as part of the Miscellaneous Symbols block, next to the weather and astronomy signs.
In text it adds a sense of speed or something rare and spectacular, and it appears in space-themed usernames, science posts and night-sky captions. People often use it for a shooting star, but a shooting star is actually a meteor burning up in the atmosphere; the emoji 🌠 is the dedicated shooting-star character. ☄ also has an emoji form ☄️ with U+FE0F.
Comet Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming
Every code below produces ☄. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.
| Unicode code point | U+2604 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML decimal | ☄ | |
| HTML hex | ☄ | |
| CSS content | content: "\2604"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u2604" | |
| Python | "\u2604" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{COMET}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u2604" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 98 84 | |
| UTF-16 | 2604 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%98%84 |
☄ vs look-alike characters
These characters look similar to ☄ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Shooting StarU+1F320 | Shooting star emoji, which depicts a meteor rather than a comet. | |
Four Pointed StarU+2726 | Four-pointed star, often combined with ☄ in space-themed decorations. |
Symbols similar to ☄
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full weather symbols collection.
☄ character properties
- Official Unicode name
- COMET
- Also known as
- comet sign, shooting star symbol
- Code point
- U+2604
- Unicode block
- Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
- General category
- Other symbol (So)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- Has an emoji form: ☄️ (add U+FE0F)
Frequently asked questions
Is ☄ a comet or a shooting star?
Its Unicode name is COMET. For a shooting star (a meteor), the emoji 🌠 is the better match.
How do I get the colour comet emoji?
Use ☄️, which is ☄ followed by the emoji variation selector U+FE0F.
Is there an alt code for the comet symbol?
No. ☄ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2604 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the comet symbol on a Mac?
There is no single Option shortcut for ☄ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “comet” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the comet symbol?
☄ has no named HTML entity. Use the numeric reference ☄ or ☄, or paste the character directly into a UTF-8 page.
What is the Unicode for the comet symbol?
☄ is U+2604, officially named COMET, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).