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The coma is the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet, formed when the comet passes near the Sun in its highly elliptical orbit. As the comet warms, parts of it sublimate; this gives a comet a diffuse appearance when viewed through telescopes and distinguishes it from stars.
Oct 16, 2023 · The dust and released gas form a cloud around the comet called a coma. This gas and dust interact with the Sun to form two different tails. The first tail, made up of gas, is called the ion...
Such a cloud, termed a coma, is a distinguishing feature of comets and consists of gases and entrained dust escaping from the cometary nucleus when sunlight causes its ices to sublimate. Given Chiron’s large distance from the Sun, the sublimating ices are likely far more volatile substances than water ice,… Read More. Home Science Astronomy.
Jul 31, 2023 · Coma. As a comet gets closer to the sun, the ice on the surface of the nucleus begins turning into a gas via a process called sublimation, forming a cloud around the comet known as the coma.
3 days ago · But when a comet gets close to the Sun, it starts heating up. Eventually, the ice begins to turn to gas. This can also cause jets of gas to burst out of the comet, bringing dust with it. The gas and dust create a huge, fuzzy cloud around the nucleus called the coma.
6 days ago · Comet, a small body orbiting the Sun with a substantial fraction of its composition made up of volatile ices. Comets are among the most-spectacular objects in the sky, with their bright glowing comae and their long tails. Comets can appear at random from any direction as they move in eccentric orbits around the Sun.
Oct 11, 2023 · Because comets are clumps of rock, dust, ice and the frozen forms of various gases and molecules, they’re often called “dirty snowballs” or “icy dirtballs” by astronomers. Theses clumps of ice and...