Why do comets have tails?
A comet gets a tail when it flies close to the warm sun.
Pip’s answer
- A comet gets a tail when it flies close to the warm sun.
- A comet is a big ball of ice, dust, and rock.
- The sun warms the ice, and whoosh, dust and gas stream out behind!
- Wow-ee, some comet tails stretch longer than millions of miles!
For grown-ups
Comets are chunks of ice, dust and rock from the outer solar system. As a comet nears the sun, heat turns some ice directly into gas, releasing dust. Sunlight and the solar wind push this material away, forming tails that always point away from the sun, sometimes stretching millions of kilometers.
Ask your child: Which way do you think a comet's tail points?
More questions kids ask
- 🌠Why are there shooting stars?
- 🪐Why do planets go around the sun?
- ☀️Why is the sun so hot?
- 🌙Why does it get dark at night?
- ⭐Why do stars twinkle?
- 🌓Why does the moon change shape?
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