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Comets have been compared to "dirty snowballs", made of rocks and dust held together with frozen gasses. When a comet starts to come near the Sun, the sunlight begins to heat it up, vaporizing some of the frozen gasses. The dust in the ice is carried away with the vapor, and the light pressure from the Sun pushes the very light dust and vapor away from the comet's nucleus. The light illuminates the dusty vapor, and we see the comet's tail begin to grow as the comet comes closer to the Sun.

The length of the tail is dependent on the nature of the frozen gasses, and on how much dust the tail carries away, and on how close the comet comes to the Sun. Some comets don't come especially close to the Sun, while some come VERY close. And some comets fall into the Sun completely. (The size of any comet is so tiny compared to the size of the Sun that a comet-Sun collision has no effect on the Sun at all. It would have less impact than the force of a mosquito hitting the windshield of a train.)

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Q: Why do comets have long trails?
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Related questions

What part of comets or meteors are easily seen?

It is the trails they make. With comets it is the trail made by outgassing as the comet approaches and recedes from the sun. Meteors are heated by friction when they enter the atmosphere and leave a trail this way.


How do star-trails form?

Stars usually don't have "trails". If you see a "shooting star", that is not really a star, but a piece of dust that happens to fall into the atmosphere. It is also possible that you confuse this with pictures you saw of comets.


Where do long period comets cycling over 200 years come from?

Long period comets originate in the Oort Cloud.


What are celestial comets?

Celestial comets is a more formal name for comets. Comets are objects in space orbiting the Sun with long orbits. They are thought to be made of frozen water. As they near the Sun they produce a long glowing tail trailing behind.


Do comets have a long lifespan?

False


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LONG AND SHORT PERIODIC COMETS?

Short period comets have a period of less than 200 years Long period comets have a period of more than 200 years.


Comets that appear within every 200 years are called comets?

long period comet


What do you call the region of the solar system which is home to long period comets?

Long period comets are thought to reside mainly in the Oort Cloud.


HOW LONG DOES A COMETS TAKES?

4 mins.


What is bigger meteor or comet?

Usually, a comet.Meteors are usually the dust trails of comets or bigger meteorites/asteroids that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. They are about the size of grains of sand.


How are comets different?

-- Despite where they come from, some comets have different mass qualities. While some are long-term comets, some are short-term. Short-term period comets originate in the Kuiper belt or it's "shattered disc", which is around the orbit of Neptune. Long-term period comets originate in Oort cloud, which is a cloud of icy bodies in space.


What is the greek meaning stars with long hair?

Comets.