Home > Astronomy > Components of the Solar System

When is the tail of a comet the longest?

Answer 1

A comet's visible tail is longest as it rounds the sun.

A comet is a dirty ball of rock, dust, and ices (dry ice, water ice, and frozen gasses like methane). Its orbit is highly elliptical, and as it gets closer to the sun, it warms up. As it warms up, water, gas, and dust evaporate off the icy ball, creating a cloud around it called the coma. The comet is most productive when it is closest to the sun, where the solar wind is also strongest. The visible tail may continue to grow after it has rounded the sun, but the activity will decrease the farther it gets. Fun facts: The tail usually consists of two parts: a dust tail and an ion tail. The dust tail is made of larger particles and is brighter and frequently c

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Ian Aitchison

When a comet is at its perihelion, or closest point to the sun, its tail is at its longest.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.