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Other objects in the Solar System. S1-4-08b Differentiate between the major components of the universe. KEY WORDS Moon Asteroid Trojan Meteoroid Meteorite Meteor Comet . Moons. Moon : Large natural object (rock/metals) that revolves around a planet – also called a satellite.
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S1-4-08b Differentiate between the major components of the universe. KEY WORDS Moon Asteroid Trojan Meteoroid Meteorite Meteor Comet
Moon: Large natural object (rock/metals) that revolves around a planet – also called a satellite. The Roman goddess of the moon was Luna • Probes (robot explorers) have investigated moons of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn • (Oct 2008) 172 known moons in our Solar System
Io- only moon known to have active volcanoes Europa– contains more ice and water than Earth and may contain life.
Humans have visited the moon’s surface six times between 1969and1972. • 1st- SovietLuna 2 (1959) • 2nd brightest object in sky • No atmosphere • ¼ diameter of Earth The gravitational pull of the moon on our ocean is what causes the tide to rise and fall
Asteroid: Chunk of rock/metal that orbits the Sunbut too small to be planets – minor planets. • Asteroid that cross path with Earth called Trojans The fear is that a Trojan passes close enough to get pulled in by Earth’s gravity and collide • Asteroid belt in large gap from Mars – Jupiter • Largest is only 1000 Km in diameter • Asteroids are rich in minerals – future mining
Meteoroid: lump of rock that is trapped by Earth’s gravity and pulled into the atmosphere. Falling meteoroids bump into air molecules heating up (friction) until the air glows – and the meteoroid burns up and breaks apart. • Meteoroid that completelyburns up - meteor • producing a streak of light - shooting star The only difference between meteoroid and asteroid is that a meteoroid is random, an asteroid orbits the Sun
Meteorite: fragment of a meteoroid that doesn’t burn up and strikes the Earth (space rock). • Large meteorites make craters • Westhawk Lake is a crater Meteorite impact crater in Arizona
Comet: chuck of ice/dust that orbits the Sun. • Made of the head (coma) and the tail • Tail: passing by Sun heats trailing gas and debris then blown out by solar wind - millions of km long • Some have regular periods of revolution around the Sun Halley’s comet: last seen in 1986 it has a period of 76 years
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? S1-4-08b: What other objects make up our solar system? KEY WORDS Moon Asteroid Trojan Meteoroid Meteorite Meteor Comet