Which of the following governs the direction in which a comet's ion tail is aligned in space?
A)its direction of motion, because the tail simply trails behind it in its orbit
B)the gravitational attraction of the Sun for the tail material
C)the gravitational attraction of Earth for the tail material
D)the flow of solar wind past the comet's nucleus

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The direction of a comet's ion tail is governed by the solar wind, which is a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The solar wind affects the ionized particles in the comet's tail, causing it to be aligned in a direction away from the Sun. This means that the ion tail will generally point away from the Sun, but the precise direction will depend on various factors such as the comet's velocity and orientation relative to the solar wind.

Which of the Following Governs the Direction in Which a Comet's