Transcript Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors

Comets, Asteroids, and MeteorsOh My!
Asteroid
• BrainPop
Asteroids
• Definition: objects that are too small and
numerous to be considered planets
• Rocky – 75% of all asteroids
• Iron (metals) – 7% of all asteroids
• Mixed (rock and iron blended) – 18% of all
asteroids
Asteroid Belt
The region
between the orbits
of Mars and
Jupiter, where
many asteroids are
found.
Asteroids…
Asteroids
• Not all asteroids are located in the asteroids
belt and can pass near Earth
• Jupiter’s gravity kept the asteroids from
forming a planet
• Some asteroids orbit just before and after
Jupiter
• Largest asteroid, Ceres, is 580 mi across but
most are less than a few miles across
Asteroid Impacts
• Scientists think an asteroid impact near
Mexico caused the dinosaur extinction.
Asteroid Impact crater in Canada
http://www.mnh.si.edu/
Comets
• BrainPop
Comets
•
•
Definition: chunks of ice and dust that
usually has a long, narrow elliptical orbit
Comet means long haired star
Comet
• 3 parts:
– Nucleus
– Coma
– Tail: always points
away from sun
Nucleus and coma make
up the head .
Comet
Parts Explained
• Nucleus – hard rock/ice object
• Coma – heated up gas that form a cloud
around the nucleus
• Tail – dust particles pushed away from the
comet by solar radiation; gets bigger as
comet gets closer to the sun
Comet Orbits
• Comets have long, narrow elliptical orbits
• Short period comets are found in the Kuiper
Belt
• Long period comets are found in the Oort
Cloud
• Sometimes, comets get too close to the sun,
and then…
NASA
Famous Comets
Hale- Bopp
More…
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Comet
Hyakutake
1996
More…
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In 1994, Comet Shoemaker-Levy
9 collided with Jupiter.
Meteors
• Video
Meteors
• 3 types:
• Meteor: a streak of light in the sky produced
by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth’s
atmosphere
• Meteoroid: a chunk of rock or dust in space
• Meteorite: a meteoroid that has hit Earth’s
surface
Meteoroids
• Meteoroids are small chunks of rock and
dust left over from asteroids and comets that
pass by the Earth.
• They are found within the path of the
Earth’s orbit around the sun.
• They can be rocky, iron, or mixed.
Meteor Impact Crater in
Arizona.
Meteors
• 3 types:
• Meteor: a streak of light in the sky produced
by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth’s
atmosphere
• Meteoroid: a chunk of rock or dust in space
• Meteorite: a meteoroid that has hit Earth’s
surface
Meteors…
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