❓ why
Why do comets have tails?
spaceastronomy
Quick Answer
As a comet nears the Sun, its ice turns to gas and releases dust, which solar radiation and wind push away into long tails.
The Full Story
A comet's nucleus is a mix of ice, dust and rock. Near the Sun, the ices sublimate — turning straight into gas — and form a glowing cloud called a coma. Sunlight pushes dust into a curved, yellowish dust tail, while the solar wind sweeps charged gas into a straight, bluish ion tail. Both always point away from the Sun, so a comet leaving the Sun travels tail first.
Key Facts
1.Comet Hyakutake's ion tail was measured at over 500 million km long.
2.Comet nuclei are usually just a few kilometres wide.
3.Many meteor showers occur when Earth passes through dust left by comets.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"A Comet's Two Tails — Explained"