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Animation of the nucleus of a comet as it approaches the Sun. Comets are small bodies of ice and rock that are remnants from the formation of the Solar System. A huge halo of potential comet nuclei exists in the outer Solar System. When one falls into the inner Solar System, radiation from the Sun boils off the ices, which form jets of dust and water as they escape the interior through cracks. This ejecta forms a huge coma of gas and dust around the comet. These can form into long tails, which can be large and bright enough to be visible to the naked eye