noun
Literally 'broom star'; a common Japanese word for comet, often used in everyday contexts and children's literature.
See also: 彗星
夜空にほうき星が見えた。
I saw a comet in the night sky.
ほうき星は長い尾を引いている。
The comet has a long tail.
More formal and scientific term for comet; ほうき星 is the everyday, descriptive word.
Compound of ほうき (broom) and 星 (star), from the comet's broom-like tail.