Identify the object shown in the figure below.

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In evaluating the image, we should first note the distinctive features and compare them to the given options.
Option 1: a meteor shower. Meteor showers produce bright streaks or trails across the sky, typically short-lived and not accompanied by a broad, fan-like tail attached to a point body. The image shows a coherent, extended tail-like structure anchored near a head, which is not characteristic of a meteor streak.
Option 2: an asteroid. Asteroids generally appear as point-like objects or small moving points of light and do not display a long, curved, gas- or dust-emitting tail. The bright curved feature in the image looks more like a tail rather than a solid rock.
Option 3: an active comet. Comets are known for having a visible coma and a tail formed by sublimated ices and dust pushed away by solar radiation and solar wind. The image presents a bright nucleus-like head with a sweeping, fan-shaped tail extending from it, which aligns well with typical comet morphology.
Option 4: a meteorite. Meteorites are fragments that reach the ground; when observed in the sky they may appear as brief fireballs and do not create sustained tails or attached tails in the sky image. The scene here shows a persistent tail structure, not a single falling fragment.
Option 5: zodiacal dust. Zodiacal dust manifests as a diffuse, faint glow along the ecliptic, not as a sharp, well-defined tail emanating from a distinct head. The image features a clearly defined, elongated tail rather than a broad, diffuse light.
With these points in mind, the most consistent interpretation of the visual features is a body with a nucleus and a trailing tail shaped by sublimation processes, which is characteristic of a comet rather than the other phenomena listed.

EESC1120.01|.02 Summer 2025 Our Home Amongst the Cosmos [Kruckenberg] Week 4 Quiz

Identify the object shown in the figure below.

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