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The sun ejects solar winds which move much faster than any comet. This causes a stream of material (the tail) to point away from the Sun, irrespective of the direction the comet is travelling. The Sun's radiation may also have an effect. (Source: Wikipedia)Bad definition!
Comet tails point away from the sun because of solar wind. The photons from the sun work like wind and blow the tail away from the sun like a wind would blow a flag. These photons sweep the ions from the comet away from the sun.
Comets have two tails. One is a dust tail that follows behind the comet, where the comet has physically been. The other tail is an ion tail that is blown away by the solar wind, so is always pointing directly away from the sun.
A comet's tail is a result of the solar wind blowing ice and dust from its surface. Therefore its tail will always be in the opposite direction from the sun, no matter in what direct it is moving.
comet tails, when the observation was made that comet tails pointed away from the sun regardless of what direction it was moving in in relation to the sun. IE the comet is always between the sun and and the tail. Kepler in the early 1600s guessed that those tails were driven by the pressure of sunlight, and his guess still holds true for the many comet tails which consist of dust.
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A comet generally has two tails, not one. One tail is due to the comet's dust particles, the other is due to ionized gas from the comet coma.
Dust particles form the first tail. This comet tail generally points back along the comet path (so if the comet is traveling right, the dust tail extends to the left).
Ions (electrically charged particles), which first come from the nucleus as (neutral) gaseous particles, are swept into the second comet tail. Because of the special interaction with the Sun's magnetic field, this tail always points directly away from the Sun.
Comets have two tails: the dust tail, which is basically a trail of uncharged dust left behind along the comet's orbit, which doesn't have any particular relation to the Sun, and the ion tail, which always points away from the Sun because of the solar wind.
they do not point away from the sun, they point in the opposite direction that it is travelling - the sun has nothing to do with the direction a comet travels in. Also if a comet's tail was pointing toward the sun the sun's powerful light will cause it to appear faint, LAST EDITED: 9/6/2012 3:12 PM KSA
The comet tail points away from the sun because of solar wind. Solar wind is a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun that pushes the comet's gas and dust away from the sun, forming the tail.
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Which comet tail always points away from the sun?
The ion tail of a comet always points directly away from the sun due to the solar wind pushing charged particles emitted by the comet.
What direction does the tail of a comet point in relation to the sun?
The tail of a comet always points away from the Sun, regardless of the comet's location in its orbit. This is due to the solar wind pushing particles and gases in the tail away from the Sun.
A tail still exists in the direction of the sun when a comet moves away from the sun?
No, a comet's tail always points away from the sun regardless of the comet's direction of movement. This is due to the solar wind pushing gas and dust particles away from the comet's nucleus, creating the tail that always faces away from the sun.
Does a comet's tail always point 180 degrees away from its direction of travel?
Yes, a comet's tail always points away from the sun due to the solar wind. As the comet travels in its orbit, the pressure of the solar wind pushes the gas and dust in the tail away from the sun, creating the iconic tail that points in the opposite direction of the comet's movement.
Comets tail always point toward the sun?
The tail of a comet always points away from the sun due to the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun. The pressure of the solar wind pushes the comet's gas and dust particles away, creating the distinctive tail that points in the opposite direction of the sun.
Which comet tail always points away from the sun?
The ion tail of a comet always points directly away from the sun due to the solar wind pushing charged particles emitted by the comet.
What direction does the tail of a comet point in relation to the sun?
The tail of a comet always points away from the Sun, regardless of the comet's location in its orbit. This is due to the solar wind pushing particles and gases in the tail away from the Sun.
What way do comet tales point?
A comet's tail points away from the sun
A tail still exists in the direction of the sun when a comet moves away from the sun?
No, a comet's tail always points away from the sun regardless of the comet's direction of movement. This is due to the solar wind pushing gas and dust particles away from the comet's nucleus, creating the tail that always faces away from the sun.
What diretions does the tail of a comet point?
A comet's "tail" points away from the Sun. Moving away from the Sun, that means that the comet is moving "tail-first" through space. This is because the comet's tail is actually just wisps of gas and dust melting out of the "nucleus" or head of the comet. The light of the Sun actually has a pressure, and this solar pressure blows the dusty gas away from the comet itself. It is this dusty gas reflecting the Sun's light that we see.
Does a comet's tail always point 180 degrees away from its direction of travel?
Yes, a comet's tail always points away from the sun due to the solar wind. As the comet travels in its orbit, the pressure of the solar wind pushes the gas and dust in the tail away from the sun, creating the iconic tail that points in the opposite direction of the comet's movement.
Comets tail always point toward the sun?
The tail of a comet always points away from the sun due to the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun. The pressure of the solar wind pushes the comet's gas and dust particles away, creating the distinctive tail that points in the opposite direction of the sun.
What does solar wind and its effect on a comet?
Solar wind makes a comet's tail always point away from the Sun.
What does a comet tail always point?
Away from the Sun. The tails is caused by the solar wind.
Do the tails of comets point toward the moon?
Only by accident. A comet's tail will point away from the sun.
Why is a comets tail is in front of the comet?
A comet's tail is always pointed away from the Sun due to the solar wind. As the comet moves closer to the Sun, solar radiation and solar wind push the dust and gas away from the comet, creating the tail that appears to extend ahead of the comet in its orbit.
What kind of tail of a comet always points away from the sun?
The dust tail and the gas tail BOTH point away from the Sun (or in the direction of the Solar Wind). As the gas tail is a little less dense, its point is a little more directly away.
