Suppose there were no solar wind.How would the appearance of a comet in our inner solar system be different?
A)It would have only one tail instead of two.
B)It would not have a coma.
C)It would not have a nucleus.
D)It would be much brighter in appearance.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Comets typically have two tails: the ion tail, which is caused by the solar wind interacting with the comet's ionized gases, pushing them directly away from the Sun, and the dust tail, which is made of dust particles that are affected by the Sun's radiation pressure but not as directly as the ion tail by the solar wind. Without the solar wind, comets would lack the ion tail, leaving only the dust tail. The presence of a coma (a nebulous envelope around the nucleus) and the nucleus itself are not directly affected by the solar wind, and the brightness of a comet is more influenced by its distance from the Sun and the size of its coma and tails rather than the presence of the solar wind.

Suppose There Were No Solar Wind