Transcript What`s That Up In The Sky???

What’s That Up In The Sky???
The difference between
Comets, Meteors and Asteroids
Resource: http://science.pppst.com/space/comets.html
Comets………Dirty Balls of Ice
They look like a star
with a ghostly white
tail.
The term "comet"
derives from the
Greek aster
kometes, which
means "long-haired
star"---a reference to
the tail.
http://comets.amsmeteors.
org/educate/hbmovie.m
pg
Comets………Dirty Balls of Ice
They can be seen by us only when they pass by the sun
and the sun’s heat melts them.
The comet's tail is made of material from the comet; gas
from the ices and dust that is mixed in with the ice.
They escape as the comet melts.
The tail always points away from the sun due to the
solar winds (movement of heat away from sun)
Comets………Dirty Balls of Ice
The icy, hard part of the comet is called the nucleus. As
the comet melts, sometimes large chunks of ice
break off in a hurry and large amounts of gases
escape at once and cause a bright “outburst”.
Asteroids……Rockin’ Around
Asteroids are
LARGE chunks
of rock and metal
that orbit the sun.
They range from just
over ½ a mile (1km)
to a few hundred
miles in diameter
(diameter = how
wide across)
Asteroids……Rockin’ Around
Most asteroids travel in
the wide gap between
the inner planets and
outer planets (between
Mars and Jupiter).
But a few travel in paths
across Mar’s orbit and
some even cross in
Earth’s orbit.
Meteors…Shooting Stars or Space
Garbage
Meteors are also called
shooting stars
Meteors are small pieces of
space debris (junk) pulled
into Earth’s atmosphere by
gravity.
Meteorites are metallic rocks
broken off from asteroids
and comets
Meteors fall to Earth at
speeds from 22,000 MPH
to 64,000 MPH (8x shuttle
speed)
You Can Buy Meteorshttp://www.alaska.net/%7Eme
teor/SZH.htm
Meteors…Shooting Stars or Space
Garbage
Most meteors are only as
big as a grain of sand.
Most burn up while
entering Earth’s
Atmosphere
However………………
They can be bigger.
Craters in the Earth and
ones studied below the
surface show that one
about the size of a
house landed about
250,000 years ago! Is
that what killed the
dinosaurs???
Meteors…Shooting Stars or Space
Garbage
Meteors are falling all
the time.
http://comets.amsmete
ors.org/educate/vde
mo2b.mpg
On a clear, dark night
you may see one.
During the annual
meteor storms, you
may see 100 per
hour.
Meteors…Shooting Stars or Space
Garbage
How can something as small as a grain of sand light up
so brightly?
Entering the Earth’s atmosphere so fast creates a lot of
friction. The friction causes them to heat up and give
off light.
The light trail may stay in the sky for up to 30 minutes
and end with a “POP”.
REALLY bright meteors are called
FIREBALLS
What’s That Up In The Sky???
COMETS
Made of icehave tails
Stay in space
Orbit the sun
ASTEROIDS
METEORS
Made of rock Made of rock
and metal
and metal
Stay in space Fall into
Earth’s
atmosphere
Orbit the sun Gravity pulls to
Earth; they
burn up as
they fall
Our Solar System
Grade 5
Big Idea 5: Earth in Space and Time
SC.5.E.5.1, SC.5.E.5.2, SC.5.E.5.3
Our solar system is located in a galaxy
known as The Milky Way.
p. 167
What is a Galaxy?
A galaxy is a group of solar systems, dust, and gas held
together by gravity.
t
What do we know about the Sun?
Click on SC.3.E.5.2; SC.3.E.5 Sun - Size and Appearance
 The sun is the closest star




to Earth.
The sun is a big ball of hot
gases.
The sun gives off two kinds of
energy: light and heat. This is
called solar energy.
All eight planets orbit, or revolve, around the sun.
The sun is so large that more than a million Earths
could fit inside it.
What objects orbit the sun?
pp. 169-170
Planets orbit the sun.
What is a planet?
A planet is a large ball of rock or gas that follows a path
round the sun.
What else orbits the sun?
moons, drawf planets, comets, asteroids
Solar System Review
Inner Planets
Outer Planets
Let’s look again at the
Movement of the Earth
How else is the Earth moving?
• It orbits or revolves around the Sun.
 365 days = 1 year
Department of Mathematics and
Science
Gr. 5 St. Resource
pp. 181 -182
Phases of the Moon
Department of Mathematics and
Science
 Tides areTides
the
rise and fall of
sea levels
caused by the
combined
effects of
gravitational
forces exerted
by the Moon,
Sun, and
rotation of the