
Comets' heads may be green, but never their tails, study finds
Comets heat up very quickly as they approach the sun, causing the icy bodies to glow green, but never in the tails trailing behind them. A new study may finally reveal why.
Comets are remnants from the early days of the solar system, billions of years ago. Primarily made of ice and dust, these "dirty snowballs" orbit the sun and in habit the Oort cloud, an area in the outskirts of the solar system beyond Pluto. As comets approach the inner solar system, solar wind from the sun can sweep dust back into a long tail. When these comets are close enough to Earth, they can appear as dazzling objects in the night sky. Space probes from Earth have visited several comets to learn more about their composition. Learn more about comets, icy wanderers in the solar system.
Related Topics: Asteroids, Meteors, Shooting Stars and Fireballs, Rosetta Spacecraft, Stargazer Photos