2007-06-14 08:41:30 · 17 answers · asked by Greenman 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
A comet is basically a chunk of ice and dust. When it gets near to the Sun, it heats up and starts vaporizing. The solar wind (a stream of charged particles flying out of the Sun in all directions) pushes this vaporizing matter away in a long tail. The tail reflects light, making it visible. We see the tail of the comet as pointing directly away from the Sun.
2007-06-14 08:45:20 · answer #1 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Comets don't make any light of their own. We see them due to reflected sunlight. Comets appear bright because they contain large amounts of water ice, which is a very refective material.
2007-06-14 15:50:45 · answer #2 · answered by Egghead 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Comets are oversexed. They get hot when they approach the sun, and start squirting out lots of water vapour. This is a high libido sorry Albedo. They are not hot enough on their own to generate light it is only the reflected glory of the sun that we see.
2007-06-14 16:11:56 · answer #3 · answered by Easy Peasy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A comet fly`s through space at a speed of which i do not know of but i can tell you it travel`s very fast when something is going very fast it get`s hotter and hotter when it get`s to a point it wil lget so hot that it starts burning up which sets that object on fire which makes it a bright light :)
2007-06-14 15:50:22 · answer #4 · answered by Dark_shadow 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's just sunlight being reflected off the comet and the gas and debris that follows it.
2007-06-14 15:48:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The coma and tail forms a mirror, which reflects sunlight in our direction. The larger the coma and tail, the more light reflected, and the brighter they appear to be.
2007-06-14 15:53:16 · answer #6 · answered by edward_otto@sbcglobal.net 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
light reflected from the sun also we see it from earth and space is black so a comet is brighter by definition.
2007-06-14 17:48:21 · answer #7 · answered by happy chappy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's not really bright it's the light reflected by the sun
2007-06-14 18:39:18 · answer #8 · answered by Derchin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are made of ice and so reflect light easily, i believe.
Also, when they enter the Earths atmosphere they burn up.
2007-06-14 16:20:21 · answer #9 · answered by | König | 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because they are made of ice and rock so the sunlight reflects off it.
2007-06-14 15:45:25 · answer #10 · answered by Nite 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋