As a comet approaches the Sun, sublimation releases dust and gas forming which feature?

• A. Core
• B. Nucleus
• C. Tail
• D. Coma

Answer: (C)

When a comet nears the Sun, its ices sublimate into gas and drag dust away from the nucleus. This outgassing creates a surrounding glow called the coma, but the most distinctive feature that forms as the material is pushed by solar radiation and the solar wind is a tail. The tail stretches away from the Sun, made up of dust and ionized gas, shaped by these solar forces. So, the dust and gas released by sublimation drive the formation of the tail, which is why this is the feature described.