During the time that a comet passes through the inner solar system, the comet can appear quite bright because
A)sunlight reflects off the comet's tail and coma.
B)increasing friction causes the comet's nucleus to glow.
C)sunlight reflects off the comet's nucleus.
D)heat from the Sun causes the comet's nucleus to glow.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sunlight reflects off the comet's tail and coma, which can result in a bright appearance. The increasing friction of the comet's nucleus as it approaches the Sun could cause it to heat up and begin to glow, but this would not necessarily result in a bright appearance visible from Earth. The sunlight reflecting off the comet's nucleus and heat causing the nucleus to glow are both possibilities, but they are not the primary reasons why a comet appears bright.

During the Time That a Comet Passes Through the Inner