07/23/2020
"Comet NEOWISE from Mount Adelaida"
Over the last few days, I've been asked several questions about comets and I'd like to answer some of them (in more detail) here.
1. Why is comet NEOWISE so low on the horizon?
☄️ The particular orbit of any one long period comet depends on it's origin in the universe and this tends to be random. In regards to NEOWISE, it's likely that it originated in the Oort cloud possibly billions of years ago. So it's relative position to you standing on Earth, is hardly more than a coincidence given its 6,800 year long orbit around the sun. A welcome coincidence none the less.
2. How big is NEOWISE?
☄️ NEOWISE is roughly 3 miles in diameter which is pretty average for a comet.
3. What is NEOWISEs tail made of?
☄️ NEOWISE has a tail likely made of sodium. When a comet nears the sun it warms up and material will lift from it's surface to form a tail. The tail is a result of sublimation when it's icy surface goes direcly from a solid to a gas. Its tail won't show you where it's going or where it's been however. Comets have an ion tail made up of the ionized gas blown back from the solar wind. So no matter which orbit it follows, the comets tail always points away from the sun.
