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Old 16th Jan 2007, 14:52
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Pax Vobiscum
 
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It's not unusual for comets to develop two tails. One is caused by the pressure of sunlight, and always points directly away from the sun. The other is the result of the charged particles known as the solar wind - magnetohydrodynamic effects may cause this to point in a quite different direction.

NB once the comet is moving away from the sun, the tail is in front of it (in the direction of motion).
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