Chapter 15: Problem 25

Why do comets have prominent tails for only a short time during each orbit?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Comets show prominent tails for a short period during each orbit because this is when they come closest to the Sun. The heat from the Sun causes the comet's ices to sublimate and form a tail. As the comet moves away from the Sun, the tail becomes less prominent until it disappears.

Step by step solution

Understanding Comet Composition

Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust, roughly the size of a small town. When a comet's orbit brings it into close proximity to the Sun, it heats up and spews gases and dust into a glowing head that's larger than most planets. The radiation pressure streaming out from the Sun pushes this debris into a beautiful bright tail.

Formation of the Comet’s Tail

The tail of a comet always points away from the Sun due to two forces: the solar wind and radiation pressure. Solar wind is a stream of charged particles emitted from the corona of the Sun, and radiation pressure is the pressure exerted by the photons coming from the Sun. When a comet is heated by the Sun, the ices sublimate (go from solid directly to gas) and drag dust particles with them as they rush away from the comet's nucleus.

Relation Between Position and Prominence of the Tail

The tail becomes prominent when the comet is closer to the Sun because that's when there is more heating, hence, more sublimation of ices and more dust and gas being ejected. The tail reaches maximum prominence around and after perihelion (the point of the comet's orbit closest to the Sun). As the comet moves away from the Sun, less sublimation occurs, and the tail gets less prominent until it eventually disappears.

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Why do comets have prominent tails for only a short time during each orbit?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understanding Comet Composition

Formation of the Comet’s Tail

Relation Between Position and Prominence of the Tail

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