![tails of histera tails of histera](https://i.redd.it/aj1p65g7f5h11.png)
In some cases this can mean that comets can have multiple tails, which creates amazing effects where different regions of a comet stream off volatiles. The heating of a comet by the Sun is not uniform.īecause of a comet’s irregular shape and rotation, some parts of the surface can be heated by sunlight, while other parts remain cold. This also causes dust on the comet’s surface to stream away. These volatiles are frozen near the comet’s surface, and as they approach the Sun, they warm and become gaseous. We now know that a comet’s ion tail contains “volatiles” such as water, methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide. It’s actually being pushed away from the comet by the solar wind.Ĭomets often develop two tails as they near the sun – a curved dust tail and straight, ion tail. The ion tail always points away from the Sun. A bright tail composed of ionized gas, and a dimmer one composed of dust particles. With the rise of photographic astronomy, it was found that comets often have two types of tails. Many bought gas masks and “comet pills” to protect themselves.
![tails of histera tails of histera](http://cdn.scratch.mit.edu/static/site/projects/thumbnails/1130/6876.png)
French astronomer Camille Flammarion was quoted as saying the gas could “impregnate the atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet.” This caused a great deal of hysteria. When Comet Halley approached Earth in 1910, astronomers detected cyanide gas in its tail. So, good news, we no longer regard them as omens and everyone stopped panicking. He realized that they were Solar System objects, like planets.
![tails of histera tails of histera](https://d310a9hpolx59w.cloudfront.net/product_photos/23120368/IMG_0032_400sq.png)
It wasn’t until the 1500s, when Tycho Brahe used parallax to determine a comet’s distance. Because of their tails and transitory nature, comets were long thought to be products of the Earth’s atmosphere.