Asteroids, Comets, and Meteoroids

1
Lesson 4

• Asteroids, Comets, and Meteoroids

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Asteroids

• Asteroids are rocky objects.
• Smaller than a planet.
• Found between Mars and Jupiter
• Weak Gravity
• No atmosphere
• Lots of craters!

3
Comets

• A comet is a small, icy body in orbit around the
  Sun.
• Their orbits are highly elliptical.
• They travel to the Sun and well beyond Pluto.
• May have been leftovers from Solar System.

4
Parts of a comet

• Tail points away from the Sun.
• Coma point towards the Sun.

5
Comet Animation
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Deep Impact

• On July 4, 2005, the Deep Impact spacecraft
  launched a small probe on a collision course with
  compete Temple-1.
• It recorded clear images of the compete.
• Even comets are covered with craters.

7
Halleys Comet

• Halleys Comet period of 76 years.
• Last seen in 1986. Next viewing 2062.

8
Kuiper Belt Oort Cloud

• Short period comets come from the Kuiper Belt.
• Long period comets come from the Oort Cloud

9
Meteoroids

• Meteors travel though space.
• Meteoroids are solid, particles passing meteors
  that pass through Earths atmosphere. (Shooting
  Stars)
• Meteorites are meteoroids that hits Earth.