Transcript SNC1PL Celestial Objects and Constellations

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Dwarf planets orbit around the Sun, but do
not dominate their orbit
There are 5 recognized dwarf planets:
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Ceres ***
Pluto ***
Haumea
Makemake
Eris
…maybe more…
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Located between Mars and
Jupiter and contain
thousands of asteroids
 Asteroids: small celestial
objects made of rock and
metal that are less than 1000
km across
 Occasionally run into Earth
and other planets
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Dirty snowballs made of ice, gas, dust and
sometimes tiny traces of organic material
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Parts of a comet:
 Nucleus: Irregularly shaped object made of rock,
dust, ice and frozen gases
 Coma: A temporary atmosphere around the
nucleus
 Tails: The dust tail reflects the Sun’s light and may
be influenced by the movement of the comet. The
Ion tail is created by solar wind reacting with
material on the comet to produce a tail that is
directed away from the comet
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Meteoroid: A lump of rock or metal smaller
than an asteroid travelling through space
Meteor: A meteoroid that has become
trapped in Earth’s gravity. Friction from
Earth’s atmosphere causes the meteor to
glow.
Meteorite: A meteor that has enough mass to
strike the surface of Earth before burning up
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Prominent luminous objects that form
consistent patterns in the night sky.
The IAU (International Astronomical Union)
recognizes 88 constellations, but only 20 are
truly prominent and may be easily identified
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Made up of 7 stars
Imagined by different cultures to represent a
bear. The ‘Dipper” is described in different
cultures because it points to the North star.
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Made up of 7 stars
Imagined by different cultures to represent a
bear. The ‘Dipper” is described in different
cultures because it points to the North star.
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Also made up of 7
stars
Discovered by
Ptolemy
Contains Polaris
at its “handle”
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If one extends the last two stars in the
“bowl” of Ursa Major, it will connect to
Polaris (in Ursa Minor)
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The brightest star in the Ursa Minor
constellation.
430 light years from Earth
Actually a multiple star system
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Can be seen from
November to
February
Easily
recognizable
Used to locate
other stars
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Orion’s belt may be used to locate Sirius (the
brightest star in the night sky)
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Dog star constellation
Contains Sirius (brightest star in the sky) and
VY Canis Majoris (Largest known star)
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Use the rest of today’s class to:
 Read 9.3 and 9.4
 Complete page. 342 Q:1-4 and page 345 Q:1 and 2