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S6E1.f. Compare and contrast comets, asteroids, and meteors

S6E1.f. Compare and contrast comets, asteroids, and meteors. What are the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors? How are they alike/different?. Comets. Where do they come from? ORIGIN: Left over from formation of solar system Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud. Size of Comets.

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S6E1.f. Compare and contrast comets, asteroids, and meteors

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  1. S6E1.f. Compare and contrast comets, asteroids, and meteors What are the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors? How are they alike/different?

  2. Comets • Where do they come from? • ORIGIN: • Left over from formation of solar system • Kuiper Belt & • Oort Cloud

  3. Size of Comets • About the size of a mountain (w/out the tail) • Tails can be ≥ 100 million km

  4. Composition of Comets • Ice • Dust • Small rocky particles

  5. Parts/Vocabulary for Comets: • Coma – cloud of dust & gas • Nucleus – solid inner core • Tail – gas & dust can been seen as the sun heats the comet & blows it away from the sun

  6. Comet’s tail ALWAYS points away from the Sun

  7. Other details about Comets: • A.K.A. “Dirty Snowballs” • Comet means “Long-haired star”

  8. Other details about Comets: Comets orbit in long, narrow, elliptical paths around the Sun.

  9. Asteroids • Where do asteroids come from? • Origin: • “Asteroid Belt” between orbits of Mars & Jupiter

  10. Size of Asteroids • From < 1km to > 300km in diameter

  11. Composition of Asteroids • What are asteroids made of? • Rocky objects left over from the formation of the solar system

  12. Other details about asteroids • Scientists believe asteroids msy have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs

  13. Other details about asteroids • Asteroids move in very elliptical orbits • The largest are Ceres, Pallas, Juno & Vesta

  14. Meteors • Where do meteors come from? • Broken pieces of Comets or Asteroids!

  15. Size of meteors • Smaller than comets or asteroids (since they come from broken pieces of these!) The Perseid Meteor Shower (happens every August) which has been observed for 2000 years!

  16. Composition of Meteors • What are meteors made of? • Rock & dust

  17. Parts/Vocabulary for Meteors • Meteoroid – CHUNK of ROCK/DUST in SPACE • Meteor – STREAK of LIGHT made by meteoroid, burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere • Meteorite – a meteoroid that HITS Earth

  18. Other details about meteors • A.K.A. “Shooting Stars” • Meteor Showers happen regularly

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