Under what condition does a comet achieve the spectacular visibility observed from Earth?
Answer
When its eccentric orbits bring it close enough to the Sun for heat to vaporize frozen materials.
Comets remain largely unseen until specific orbital mechanics bring them near the central star. Their spectacular visibility only manifests when their naturally eccentric orbits bring them sufficiently close to the Sun. The heat energy received at this proximity causes the ice and dust making up the comet to vaporize. This process creates the glowing coma, which serves as the head, and the resulting trailing tail that is observed from Earth, distinguishing them from smaller, less volatile space debris.
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