Difficulty: Hard

Average Score: 33%

Why do comets develop tails when they are near the Sun?

Rationale

The evaporation of ice and the release of dust particles.

As a comet approaches the Sun, the heat causes the ice within the comet to evaporate, creating a gas cloud known as a coma. This process also releases dust particles, which together form the comet's tail, pointing away from the Sun due to solar wind and radiation pressure.

A (The increasing rate of debris impacts as the comet approaches the Sun) YOUR ANSWER

This option suggests that debris impacts cause the tail formation, which is incorrect. While comets can encounter debris in space, it is the sublimation of their own material that primarily leads to tail creation, not external impacts.

B (The increasing velocity as the comet approaches the Sun) YOUR ANSWER

While a comet does gain speed as it nears the Sun due to gravitational attraction, this increase in velocity does not directly cause tail formation. The tail is primarily a result of the sublimation of ice and the release of dust, not the speed itself.

C (The evaporation of ice and the release of dust particles) CORRECT

This is the correct explanation. As the comet gets closer to the Sun, the heat causes the ice within the comet to sublimate, releasing gas and dust which form the visible tail. This process is fundamental to the behavior of comets when they approach the Sun.

D (The combustion of flammable compounds in its atmosphere) YOUR ANSWER

Comets do not undergo combustion like traditional fires; rather, they release gas and dust due to sublimation. This option misrepresents the physical processes occurring in a comet and does not accurately describe tail formation.

Conclusion

Comets develop tails as they approach the Sun due to the evaporation of ice and the release of dust particles, creating a coma and tail that are pushed away from the Sun by solar wind and radiation. Other options either misinterpret the mechanisms involved or introduce irrelevant factors, underscoring the unique processes at play in a comet's interaction with solar heat.

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