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A comet's tail points away from the sun. Sometimes the dust and gas separate, though, because they are driven by two different effects, radiation pressure and solar wind, respectively. Both point mostly away from the sun, but not always exactly. Photographs of Comet Hale-Bopp show this effect well, for example, the Astronomy Picture of the Day at the link shown. A comet in deepest cold space is generally thought of as a giant dirty snowball with the snow made of water ice, and frozen organic liquids, and the dirt of small rocks and dust which are the debris of explosions and collisions of different bodies in space. It is only when the comet approaches the sun and warms up that surface ice melts and vapourises carrying dust with it and forming a large cloud that we can see clearly. It is at this stage when the effects mentioned above act on the cloud and sweep it behind the comet relative to the sun to form a tail or tails, and because there is no atmospheric air in space the tail always points away from the sun even when the comet is travelling away from it.
Gonzalo Abernathy
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoA comet's tail points away from the sun. Sometimes the dust and gas separate, though, because they are driven by two different effects, radiation pressure and solar wind, respectively. Both point mostly away from the sun, but not always exactly. Photographs of Comet Hale-Bopp show this effect well, for example, the Astronomy Picture of the Day at the link shown. A comet in deepest cold space is generally thought of as a giant dirty snowball with the snow made of water ice, and frozen organic liquids, and the dirt of small rocks and dust which are the debris of explosions and collisions of different bodies in space. It is only when the comet approaches the sun and warms up that surface ice melts and vapourises carrying dust with it and forming a large cloud that we can see clearly. It is at this stage when the effects mentioned above act on the cloud and sweep it behind the comet relative to the sun to form a tail or tails, and because there is no atmospheric air in space the tail always points away from the sun even when the comet is travelling away from it.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoI don't know what "pointing towards Earth" means.
It's possible for a comet's tail to point towards Earth, if the comet is between Earth and the Sun. However, it would be hard to "see" in this case, just like it's kind of hard to see an arrow that's pointed straight towards you.
It's certainly possible for a comet's tail to point "down" (towards the ground) as it appears in the sky; this happens all the time.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoIt doesn't; the comet's tail points AWAY from the Sun. The Sun's heat vaporized some of the volatile chemicals that are frozen on the comet's surface, and the "solar wind" carries the vapor away. We see the glowing vapor as the "tail" of the comet.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoNo, just the opposite. The tail always points away from the sun.
When the comet has passed perihelion and is headed back out, away from the sun,
the tail goes ahead of it.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe tail of a comet points away from the Sun.
Wiki User
∙ 16y agoNo, it points away from the sun, even when the comet is moving away from the sun. The particles in the tail are blown by the solar wind.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoAway from the sun it's orbiting. The solar wind is a stronger force on the ices and gases released from the comet body than the object's forward momentum.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoA comet's tail points away from the Sun. When the comet is approaching the Sun, the tail is behind it. When the comet is moving away from the Sun, the "tail" is actually in front!
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoNo, it points AWAY from the Sun.
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What causes the difference in seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
Seasons are caused buy the tilt of the Earth's axis, and the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. There's only one hemisphere at a time that can point towards the sun. The one that's pointing towards gets summer and the one that's pointing away gets winter.
Why do pulsar stars spin?
A pulsar is nothing more than a neutron star but with a pole pointing towards Earth. See related questions.
What object would hit earth?
It is quite common for small meteors to hit the Earth. Larger impacts by an asteroid or comet are also possible but happen much less often.
Why don't the rocks from tail of a connet fall on the earth?
Sometimes they do; that's what a "meteor shower" is. The point is that all of the rocks and dust given off by a comet, and the head of the comet too, travel the way gravity and the light pressure of the Sun force them to. The head of the comet is freely falling towards the Sun. (if a comet gets close enough to a planet, the gravity of the planet becomes significant, and sometimes the comet will collide with the planet; look at Shoemaker-Levy 9, which hit Jupiter in 1994.) As the heat of the Sun begins to melt the ices of the comet, gas and dust escape from the comet. Because the gas molecules and dust particles are very light, the pressure of the Sun's light pushes them away from the comet; this forms the "tail" of the comet. Over the course of thousands of orbits, the gas and dust spreads out to fill in much of the orbit of the comet. Where the Earth's orbit intersects the comet's orbit, we see annual meteor showers.
Do superstitions asteroids and comet has a scientific basis?
Yes, comets pass by earth regularly and it has been hit by metorites regularly. If the Big Bang theory is correct, then an asteroid could be headed towards Earth just like our system was created
How long will it take if you traveled at the speed of light to get from earth to a comet?
That will completely depend on where the Earth and the comet are in their respective orbits. No single answer is possible.
Will a comet ever strike Earth?
Theoretically it is possible, but the odds are realy against it.
What are some possible ends the earth might have?
The sun might explode some huge comet might it the earth
How would you show gravity with an arrow?
have a few arrows pointing downwards towards the ground to show that the earth is attracting/pulling objects towards it
What can smelling comet do to you?
There is no possible way of smelling a comet without either a) it crashing to earth and it killing everyone or b) you landing on a comet in your lifetime to "sniff" it. so the answer is unknown because no one ever smelled a comet
Dose a meteor or comet fall quickly fall to earth?
Comets, while visible in the sky, do not normally fall to Earth. Meteors do fall towards Earth very quickly.
Which is the largest the earth the sun or the a comet?
The sun is the largest out of the three and then the earth and then a comet.
When is the next comet coming by the earth?
As of May 20, 2014 the next comet that will be coming by the Earth is Comet Faye at the end of May 2014. In June 2014, Comet Brooks 2 will be passing the Earth.
What comet visited earth in 1986?
comet sandy
Can zero gravity be created in the laboratory?
No; creating zero gravity on Earth is not possible, unless the lab is at the center of the Planet or is free falling; like an aircraft accelerating towards the ground, namely the Vomit Comet. Stephen Hawking took that ride!
How is it possible for an asteroid or comet to cut directly across earths orbital path but not hit earth?
The Earth and the asteroid could be at a different points in the path.
What causes the difference in seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
Seasons are caused buy the tilt of the Earth's axis, and the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. There's only one hemisphere at a time that can point towards the sun. The one that's pointing towards gets summer and the one that's pointing away gets winter.
