Multiple choice general knowledge science & technology

Comets are icy masses of frozen gases and dust particles. What happens when a comet gets too close to the sun?

  1. The gases catch fire, making the comet glow

  2. The ice begins to melt, leaving a trail of gases and debris

  3. The comet explodes, which is called a supernova.

  4. The comet bounces off the sun’s magnetosphere
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

When comets approach the Sun, solar radiation causes their frozen ices to sublimate (change directly from solid to gas). This creates a glowing coma and two tails - a dust tail and an ion tail - that always point away from the Sun. The 'fire' distractor is wrong because space lacks oxygen for combustion.

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