An object with what looks like a tail is visible at the sky for days. What object is this?

An object with what looks like a tail is visible at the sky for days. What object is this?

• A. Asteroid
• B. Comet
• C. Meteor
• D. Meteoroid

Answer: (B)

Seeing a tail that stays visible for days points to a comet. Comets are icy bodies that release gas and dust when they get close to the Sun. This sublimation creates a glowing cloud around the nucleus (the coma) and often two tails: a dust tail and an ion tail. The tail always points away from the Sun because solar radiation and the solar wind push material outward, so as the comet travels, the tail remains seen in the sky for several days. Asteroids are rocky and usually don’t show tails. Meteors are tiny particles that burn up in Earth's atmosphere, producing a brief streak lasting only a second or two. Meteoroids are small bodies in space and aren’t typically visible without special equipment.

Seeing a tail that stays visible for days points to a comet. Comets are icy bodies that release gas and dust when they get close to the Sun. This sublimation creates a glowing cloud around the nucleus (the coma) and often two tails: a dust tail and an ion tail. The tail always points away from the Sun because solar radiation and the solar wind push material outward, so as the comet travels, the tail remains seen in the sky for several days. Asteroids are rocky and usually don’t show tails. Meteors are tiny particles that burn up in Earth's atmosphere, producing a brief streak lasting only a second or two. Meteoroids are small bodies in space and aren’t typically visible without special equipment.