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PIP’S STARHAVEN · ACTIVITY SHEET · CHILDREN

Which way does the comet tail go?

20 minutes · Paper · Pencil · Colored pencils

Your investigation

  1. Draw a Sun and an oval comet orbit with four marked comet positions.
  2. At each position, add an arrow pointing away from the Sun. Use these arrows as a simplified guide for tail direction.
  3. Draw separate arrows showing the comet’s direction of travel along its orbit.
  4. Circle a place where the tail would not simply trail behind the comet.

Think, draw, explain

Which arrows describe movement, and which describe tail direction?

Does a comet need air rushing past it to form a tail?

Compare your explanation with the grown-up answer guide after you have tried.