Question

How is the tail of a comet formed ?

Answer 1

Radiation from the sun pushes dust particles away from the coma forming a dust tail while charged particles from the sun convert some of the comets gases into an ion tail since comet tails are shaped by sunlight and the solar wind they always point from the sun

Answer 2

As a comet approaches the Sun, it starts to heat up. The ice transforms directly from a solid to a vapor, releasing the dust particles embedded inside. Sunlight and the stream of charged particles flowing from the Sun – the solar wind – sweeps the evaporated material and dust back in a long tail.