Correct Answer:
C. Near the Sun
Correct Answer: Near the Sun
Comets travel around the Sun in highly elliptical orbits and move fastest when they are closest to the Sun, a point known as perihelion. According to Kepler's Second Law of Planetary Motion, a body orbiting the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal intervals of time, causing it to accelerate as it approaches the Sun due to the stronger gravitational pull. As comets near the Sun, solar heat also vaporizes their icy materials, producing the bright coma and characteristic tail that always points away from the Sun because of solar radiation and the solar wind. After passing perihelion, the comet slows down as it moves farther from the Sun toward aphelion.
- Fastest Point: Near the Sun (Perihelion).
- Reason: Stronger solar gravity.
- Scientific Law: Kepler's Second Law.
- Visible Feature: Coma and tail develop near the Sun.
- Correct Answer: Near the Sun.