When comets first appear near Earth, their bright tails of ionised gas stun observers, but on every return they become dimmer.Astronomers believed that these objects become dimmer on return because they released too much ice and gas during earlier visits to the inner Solar System. The comets melted and shrank because of the Sun’s warmth, so when they return there’s less material left to release, and therefore a fainter coma.
COMETS FADE NEAR SATURN’S ORBIT
May 19, 2022
2 minutes
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