As comets get close to the sun, they start to "melt" and release gas and dust. This gas and dust forms what?
- A. "coma" around the comet's nucleus and a long tail that points away from the sun
- B. "coma" that points away from the sun and a long tail around the comet's nucleus
- C. Only "coma" around the comet's nucleus
- D. Only a long tail that points away from the sun
Explanation
Solar heating causes a comet's ices to sublimate, forming a coma around its nucleus and a tail directed generally away from the Sun by sunlight and the solar wind. The tail does not simply trail behind the comet's path.