This picture shows the two different tails of a comet - the dust tail and the ion tail.
Click on image for full size
JPL

The Comet Tail

A comet generally has two tails, not one. One tail is due to the comet's dust particles. The second is due to gas that comes from the comet coma.

The picture on the left shows a comet with its two tails.

Last modified January 9, 2004 by Jennifer Bergman.

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