Comet debris. Artwork of a comet (white) leaving a trail of debris (red) on its orbital path. Earth's orbit is blue. As comets near the Sun,the solar wind and radiation pressure causes dust and gas to blow off their surface and form tails. This debris remains in the orbital path of the comet. If Earth encounters a patch of debris,the tiny dust grains are swept up by the Earth and are seen as meteors,all appearing to radiate from the same point. As the patches are always in the same position on Earth's orbital path,they are encountered at the same time each year,leading to the well-known annual showers | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Lomberg, Jon |
Taille de l’image : | 4925 px × 3600 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |