What term describes a loose collection of rocky material, dust, ice, and frozen gases?

The term that describes a loose collection of rocky material, dust, ice, and frozen gases is a comet. Comets are celestial bodies that originate from the outer regions of the solar system, primarily from the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. They are composed of a mixture of volatile substances such as water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and methane, along with rocky materials.

When a comet approaches the Sun, the heat causes the ice to vaporize, creating a glowing coma (a cloud of gas and dust) around the nucleus and often resulting in a tail that points away from the Sun. This distinctive feature of comets, along with their composition of ice and dust, sets them apart from other objects in the solar system.

Asteroids primarily consist of rock and metal and do not contain significant amounts of ice, while meteoroids are smaller fragments that can come from asteroids or comets. Dwarf planets, though they can have a variety of compositions, do not share the loose, icy characteristics that define a comet. Thus, the correct answer accurately represents the unique features of comets.