A giant cloud of dust and evaporated gases surrounds the nucleus. The coma may be larger than the size of Jupiter. The fine dust particles reflect sunlight brightly and the gases both absorb and glow with energy. The coma gives a comet its bright, fuzzy appearance. The coma and tail form only when the comet gets close enough for the Sun to melt the nucleus.
The Coma is the fuzzy outer layer of a comet.
The "coma".
A comet
Comet Tempel 1, as viewed by the Stardust-NEXT mission Credit. The total brightness of coma and nucleus is 10 units, the coma is 9 units.
The nucleus and the coma compose the core of the comet. The nucleus is the solid, rocky part at the center, while the coma is the surrounding cloud of gas and dust that forms as the comet gets closer to the Sun and begins to vaporize.
The Coma is the fuzzy outer layer of a comet.
The "coma".
Halley's comet coma is 100,000 miles vs 15 miles.
Its the nebulous shock around the nucleus of the comet. Basically its the head of the comet.
head
nucleus and coma
A comet
The "coma".
This is the coma, the portion of the comet that sublimates from the surface as it approaches the sun.
A hazy Cloud called coma sorrounds the head of a comet.
The tail of a comet, also known as its coma, grows as the comet gets close to the sun because of increases in temperature and force exerted by the solar wind. Since a comet's coma is usually composed of dust and vapor, the solar wind causes it to stream out away from the sun.
Comet Tempel 1, as viewed by the Stardust-NEXT mission Credit. The total brightness of coma and nucleus is 10 units, the coma is 9 units.