Why A Comet Has A Tail?

Badpenny

7th March 2008 - 05:27 PM

If a massive object like a giant red star is traveling through space and is loosing surface material, whats causing it to lose its surface material? Isn't gravity strong enough to hold the surface of the star together why it travels?

Latrosicarius

7th March 2008 - 06:17 PM

That's not why a comet has a tail.

A comet's tail is not "behind" it. The tail is like it's shadow. It's always pointing in the opposite direction of the star it is near by. The solar wind and radiation pressure from the nearby star causes a tail to form from gas and dust coming off of the comet.

Yes, a star and other object will stay together while it travels. The tail only starts to appear when a comet approaches a star.

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