answersLogoWhite

0

When it is from very far away, nothing. But when a comet approaches the inner Solar System,solar radiation causes the volatile materials within the comet to vaporize and stream out of the nucleus, carrying dust away with them. That is what we call the 'tail' of a comet.

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

Is comet a source or form of light?

Comets are not a source of light themselves, but they reflect sunlight. When sunlight hits a comet's nucleus, it causes the surrounding gas and dust to glow, creating the characteristic tails we see from Earth.


What object produces a shimmering tail that last a few days when it approaches the sun?

A comet produces a shimmering tail that lasts a few days when it approaches the sun. This tail forms as sunlight vaporizes the comet's icy nucleus, releasing dust and gas that reflect sunlight to create a glowing effect.


How is the tail of a comet created?

The Comet's Tail forms when sunlight causes the Comet's ice to change to a gas. The gas or ion , tail of a comet streams from the comet's head, carrying with it dust particles. The solar wind electrically charged particles, expand away from the sun pushes the gas away from the comet's head. Regardless of where its going the tail points away from the sun.


What happens when you make a rainbow with the help of a glass of water and sunlight?

The sunlight hits the glass of water and then the light disperses out as a spectrum of colour (rainbow). This is because sunlight is white light and white light contains the 7 colours of the rainbow. When it hits the glass the colours refract and disperse out as the spectrum of colours, which we see as a rainbow.


What source of light makes comets visible?

Comets are visible because they reflect sunlight. As a comet travels closer to the Sun, the sunlight heats up the comet's surface, causing it to release gas and dust that form a glowing coma and tail. This reflected sunlight is what makes comets visible from Earth.

Related Questions

What happens when a comet or an asteroid hits earth?

You usually get a crater, with surrounding damage.


What happens to the sunlight that hits the surface of the Earth?

Sunlight that hits the Earth's surface is absorbed by the Earth. It is then reflected back.


Is comet a source or form of light?

Comets are not a source of light themselves, but they reflect sunlight. When sunlight hits a comet's nucleus, it causes the surrounding gas and dust to glow, creating the characteristic tails we see from Earth.


What makes a comet disappear?

sunlight


Is comet light a natural light?

Light from a comet is just reflected sunlight.


Are comet tails mostly made up of sunlight?

Comet tails are made of ice and dust.


Explain what happens when sunlight hits a chlorophyll molecule how does this relate to potential ener?

nien


What happens when sunlight hits a surface?

The sunlight will be absorbed by the surface.If the surface is a mirror,lesser light will be absorbed.More will be reflected. If the surface is black,more light will be absorbed.


Why is the comet green?

The comet appears green because of the gases it releases when it gets close to the sun. The gas molecules in the comet's tail interact with sunlight, causing them to emit a greenish glow.


What would comets do to the human race?

It depends on the size of the comet. For example if a 9-mile comet's diameter hits earth it would create a huge destruction when the earth's dust totally blocks the sunlight and all the plants would die off, and leads to another Ice Age.


Leonids meteor shower happens when earth passes through the tail of which comet?

Comet Tempel-Tuttle.


Why is the green comet green?

The green color of a comet is caused by the gases it releases, such as diatomic carbon and cyanogen, which emit green light when they interact with sunlight.