Near earth objects ( neos ): Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids

1. Near earth objects (neos): Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids Characteristics, Composition, & location S6E1 e. Ask questions to compare and contrast the characteristics, composition, and location of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.

2. Characteristics - comets • Sometimes called “dirty snowballs” • When close to the sun, ice vaporizes, producing a spectacular streak of gas, referred to as a “tail” • The tail is visible for several nights and stays in the same place relative to the background stars at night • Many travel in a slow, highly elliptical orbit around the sun

3. Composition - comets • Bodies in space made up of ice, dust, rock, and frozen gases

4. Location/origin - comets • Oort Cloud (just past the outside edge of the solar system) - Long period comets • Kuiper belt – (just past Neptune) – short period comets

6. Asteroids

7. Characteristics - asteroids • Small, irregular shaped object that orbits the sun • Believed to be left-over pieces of planets and moons

8. Asteroids, “space rocks” that are too small and too numerous to be considered full-fledged planets. Asteroids visited by spacecraft. Some can reach to over 250 km across

10. Composition - asteroids • Huge chunks of rock and metal (iron and nickel)

11. Location/origin - asteroids • Between mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt

12. Meteorite, Meteoroid, Meteor? What’s the difference?

13. Characteristics - Meteoroids • Sand grain to boulder-sized • A meteoroid is a chunk of rock or dust in space. • Meteoroids usually come from comets or asteroids.

14. Characteristics - Meteors • A METEOR IS A STREAK OF LIGHT THAT LASTS FOR A FEW SECONDS WHEN A METEROID BURNS UP IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE • A METEOR IS ALSO KNOWN AS “SHOOTING STARS”

15. Characteristics - MeteORITES • A METEORITE IS A METEROID THAT HAS PASSED THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE AND HITS EARTH’S SURFACE • Meteor Crater Video

16. Composition – Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites • Small, rocky

17. Composition – Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites 3 TYPES: • STONY • IRON • STONY-IRON (P. 99 IN YOUR WORKTEXT)

18. Location/origin- Meteoroids • SPACE

19. Location/origin- Meteors • A METEROID THAT HAS ENTERED THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

20. Thin Streaks

21. Location/origin - Meteorites • A METEOROID THAT HAS HIT THE EARTH’S SURFACE

23. Review • Q: What is the difference between a meteoroid, meteororite, and a meteor? • Meteoroid = while in space a meteorite is called a meteoroid • Meteorite = a small rock or rocky grain that strikes Earth’s surface • Meteor = “Shooting Star”

24. Review • Q: What is the difference between an asteroid and a meteoroid? • The main difference is the size of the object. • Q: Which is larger, asteroid or meteoroid? • Asteroids are larger than meteoroids.

25. Review • Bright streaks of light that result when rocky bodies burn up in the atmosphere are called ___________. • Frozen bodies made of ice, rock, and dust, sometimes called “dirty snowballs” are called _____________. • Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun are called ______________.

26. Review • Bright streaks of light that result when rocky bodies burn up in the atmosphere are called meteors. • Frozen bodies made of ice, rock, and dust, sometimes called “dirty snowballs” are called comets. • Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun are called asteroids.