Page 55 - Ultimate Visual Dictionary (DK)

FEATURES OF A COMET
Gas molecules excited by
Sun and emitting light
Comet tails up to 60 Thin, straight
million miles (100 gas tail
million km) long

Thin, straight
Head gas tail blown by
(coma and solar wind
nucleus)

Broad, curved
dust tail
Coma
Nucleus a
surrounding few miles
nucleus
across
STRUCTURE OF
A COMET
Glowing coma
600,000 miles (1
million km) across
around nucleus

Dust layer
with active
areas emitting
jets of gas
and dust

Jet of gas and
dust produced by
vaporization
on sunlit side
of nucleus

Ices, mainly water ice, but
also frozen carbon dioxide, Broad curved Dust particles
methane, and ammonia dust tail reflecting sunlight

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