An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A formation of → gas and/or → dust that streams away from the → coma of many comets under the influence of the Sun’s → radiation pressure and the → solar wind. See also:

→ dust tail, → gas tail, → ion tail, → plasma tail, → sodium tail, → Type I tail, → Type II tail, → antitail.

See also: → cometary; → tail.