Question

A comet reaches its greatest speed as it travels near the sun. Relativistic effects make the comet’s tail look longer to an observer on Earth.

a) True.

b) False.

Answer 1

The statement is False. Relativistic effects do not make the comet's tail look longer. The tail of a comet always points away from the sun due to the repulsive force of sunlight driving particles away from the comet's head.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement is False. Relativistic effects do not make the comet's tail look longer. The statement is False. Relativistic effects do not make the comet's tail look longer. The tail of a comet always points away from the sun due to the repulsive force of sunlight driving particles away from the comet's head.

The length of the comet's tail is not affected by the comet's speed or its proximity to the sun. The tail of a comet always points away from the sun due to the repulsive force of sunlight driving particles away from the comet's head. This observation has been known since the sixteenth century and is explained by Newton's proposal.