What Causes a Comet to Have a Tail?

Comets have tails because they are like dirty snowballs that melt when they get close to the Sun. When a comet travels near the Sun, its ice starts to heat up and turns into gas and dust, creating a bright tail that stretches behind it. It's like when you blow on a snowball, the warm air makes it melt and send tiny bits flying away.

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Examples

A comet passing near the Sun is like a snowball being blown in the wind, it sends tiny bits flying away to form a tail.
It's like when you heat up an ice cube, and water vapor rises from it, making a fog around it.
The dust tail looks like a long, glowing brush stroke behind the comet as it moves through space.

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Categories: Space · comet,space science,solar system