A Wonderleaf question
Why do comets have tails?
a real page from the book
Comets grow tails when they travel near the Sun. Heat turns surface ice into gas, lifting dust with it, and sunlight plus the solar wind push that material away from the Sun into long streams.
A comet's tail does not simply trail behind its path. It points away from the Sun, so a comet leaving the inner solar system can move with its tail ahead of it, a strange backward-looking sight.
Wonder words
- comet
- coma
- solar
- particles
Try it out
Use a flashlight as the Sun and move a spoon as the comet, pointing your finger-tail away from the light each time.
Read the whole picture book
Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover.
Open the picture bookOne more wonder: Why is space so dark?
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