When would the tail of a comet appear to become longer?
A. as it gets farther from Earth
B. as it gets farther from the sun
C.as it gets closer to Earth
D.as it get closer to the sun
B. as it gets farther from the sun
u are wrong
I apologize for the incorrect answer. The correct answer is:
D. as it gets closer to the sun
As a comet approaches the sun, the heat causes the ice and other volatile substances in the comet to vaporize, creating a glowing coma and a tail that extends away from the sun. This tail can appear longer as the comet gets closer to the sun.
B. as it gets farther from the sun
To determine when the tail of a comet would appear to become longer, we need to understand the nature of a comet's tail. The tail of a comet is composed of gas and dust particles that are released from the comet's nucleus as it travels closer to the sun, due to the heat of the sun's radiation.
When a comet approaches the sun, the heat causes the icy nucleus to vaporize, creating a glowing coma (a hazy cloud of gas) around the nucleus. The solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun, then pushes the material in the coma away from the center of the comet, forming the tail.
Based on this understanding, we can determine the correct answer to the question:
A. As it gets farther from Earth: This option does not affect the length of the tail. The length of the comet's tail is primarily determined by its proximity to the sun and the solar wind's influence.
B. As it gets farther from the sun: This option is correct. As a comet moves away from the sun, the intensity of the solar wind decreases, causing the tail to appear longer. Therefore, the tail of a comet would seem to grow longer as it gets farther from the sun.
C. As it gets closer to Earth: This option does not directly impact the length of the tail. However, as a comet gets closer to Earth, it may appear brighter and more prominent, making the tail more noticeable.
D. As it gets closer to the sun: This option is incorrect. As a comet approaches the sun, the heat and solar wind cause the tail to form, but the length generally does not increase significantly as it moves closer to the sun.
Therefore, the correct answer is B. as it gets farther from the sun.