COMETS, ASTEROIDS, AND

METEORS

Write the Stuff in WHITE in your notebook!

READ the Stuff in Blue.

On the next clean page in your notebook, write this as a title!

Comet, Asteroid, Meteor Notes

COMETS

A small, frozen mass of dust and gas revolving around the sun.

Comets have 3 parts: The nucleus, the coma, and the tail.

A Comets tail always points away from the sun.

Comets usually orbit in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud.

Asteriods

A rock, or Minor Planet orbiting the Sun.

Most asteroids are found in the asteroid belt – between Mars and Jupiter.

Some asteriods are big enough to have names. Most are pretty small

Comets VS. Asteroids(Draw this in your notebook)

Sort the phrases below into “comet” or “asteroid” descriptions on the table you just drew in your notebook.

Made up of ice and dust

Have orbits similar to the planets

Form tails when they get close to the sun

Found in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud

Have orbits that are more elliptical and tilted than the planets

Do not form tails Orbit the Sun in the same direction as the planets

May or may not orbit in the same direction as the planets

Found between Mars and Jupiter

Made up of rocks and metals

Meteors, Meteoroids, Meteorites: Meteoroids -- Any small object in Outer

Space, such as dust or a rock.

Meteor -- A shooting star, observed when a particle of dust or a rock enters into the Earth's atmosphere. They burn up.

Meteorite -- An object from Outer Space, such as a rock, that falls into the Earth and lands on its surface.

Wow! Great Job! You are finished with your notes.

Check out the links below to learn more about comets, asteroids, and meteors!

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/asteroid.htm http://www.kidsastronomy.com/comets.htm http://

www.kidsastronomy.com/meteorites.htm