2007-05-01 05:46:24 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Debris, liquids or gasses breaking apart from its main body.
2007-05-01 05:52:59 · answer #1 · answered by sbravosystems 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a comet nears the sun, it's icy particles melt and separate from body - creating a cloud of water & dry ice vapor. This cloud is pushed away from the sun by solar wind. The nearer the comet gets to the sun, the more ice & particles there are, and the more visible it is. As the comet swings around the sun, it's tail is always pointed away from the sun - so the tail trails it on the path toward the sun, the it leads the comet as it pulls away
2007-05-01 06:24:34 · answer #2 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What no one else has mentioned is that there are two components to a comets tail - the dust tail and the ion tail. The dust tail is usually most conspicuous, but some comets, such as Hale-Bopp in 1997 also have bright ion tails. The ion tail, being composed of ionized gas molecule, is driven pretty much entirely by the solar wind and streams straight away from the sun. The dust tail, because of the momentum of its particles, tends to curve somewhat, showing the path of the comet.
2007-05-01 07:37:15 · answer #3 · answered by injanier 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The heat from the sun causes the tail of a comet.
2015-09-17 07:02:40 · answer #4 · answered by Rainbow 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There will be better answers out there, but solar wind causes comets. The tail will always point away from the sun, regardless of the direction the comet is travelling.
2007-05-01 05:53:13 · answer #5 · answered by harvityharvharvharv 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you need a combination of matter or debris breaking away from the comet and then solar radiation or solar wind to push the debris away to give the tail a direction away from the sun
2007-05-01 07:27:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the sun's heat
2007-05-01 07:19:09 · answer #7 · answered by saksham 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋