Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which comet has the shortest orbit of any known comet?
Which comet has the shortest orbit of any known comet?
- Long-period comets
- Halley’s Comet
- Encke’s Comet (correct)
- Oort Cloud Comets
What are meteors also known as?
What are meteors also known as?
- Asteroids
- Shooting stars (correct)
- Meteoroids
- Comets
What are meteoroids?
What are meteoroids?
- Pieces of debris left behind by a comet
- Small pieces of rock or metal that fall to the Earth’s surface
- Large pieces of rock or metal that burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere
- Small pieces of rock or metal that break off a comet or asteroid (correct)
What happens to meteoroids when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
What happens to meteoroids when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
What are meteorites?
What are meteorites?
How many meteors reach the Earth's surface as meteorites each year?
How many meteors reach the Earth's surface as meteorites each year?
What is the area between Mars and Jupiter called where asteroids are found?
What is the area between Mars and Jupiter called where asteroids are found?
What are comets also known as due to their icy middle and layer of black dust?
What are comets also known as due to their icy middle and layer of black dust?
What are meteors also known as when they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere?
What are meteors also known as when they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere?
Where do comets originate from in the solar system?
Where do comets originate from in the solar system?
What is the second largest asteroid in our solar system?
What is the second largest asteroid in our solar system?
What are Trojan asteroids?
What are Trojan asteroids?
How are comets' tails formed according to the text?
How are comets' tails formed according to the text?
What creates a cloud called a coma at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun?
What creates a cloud called a coma at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun?
What do asteroids, comets, and meteors have in common?
What do asteroids, comets, and meteors have in common?
Which is the largest asteroid in our solar system?
Which is the largest asteroid in our solar system?
What is the name of the comet that orbits the Sun every 76 years and was last seen in 1986?
What is the name of the comet that orbits the Sun every 76 years and was last seen in 1986?
What is the name of the comet that has the shortest orbit of any known comet, taking 3.3 years to orbit the Sun?
What is the name of the comet that has the shortest orbit of any known comet, taking 3.3 years to orbit the Sun?
From where do meteors originate?
From where do meteors originate?
What happens to meteoroids when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
What happens to meteoroids when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
What are meteorites?
What are meteorites?
What creates a cloud called a coma at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun?
What creates a cloud called a coma at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun?
What is the term for small chunks of rock or metal that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere?
What is the term for small chunks of rock or metal that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere?
Which region in the solar system do comets originate from?
Which region in the solar system do comets originate from?
What is the second largest asteroid in our solar system?
What is the second largest asteroid in our solar system?
Which group of asteroids are near Earth's orbit and occasionally fall to the Earth?
Which group of asteroids are near Earth's orbit and occasionally fall to the Earth?
What are comets also known as due to their icy middle and layer of black dust?
What are comets also known as due to their icy middle and layer of black dust?
Where are asteroids found in space?
Where are asteroids found in space?
What is the term for asteroids that have left the asteroid belt and spun into other orbits?
What is the term for asteroids that have left the asteroid belt and spun into other orbits?
What creates a cloud called a coma at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun?
What creates a cloud called a coma at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun?
What type of comets take less than 200 years to travel around the Sun?
What type of comets take less than 200 years to travel around the Sun?
What are the largest of the three kinds of space rocks and are found in an area between Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt?
What are the largest of the three kinds of space rocks and are found in an area between Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt?
Study Notes
Comets and Asteroids
- The comet with the shortest orbit is Encke's Comet, taking 3.3 years to orbit the Sun.
- Comets are also known as "dirty snowballs" due to their icy middle and layer of black dust.
- Comets originate from the Oort Cloud, a region in the outer solar system.
Meteoroids and Meteors
- Meteoroids are small chunks of rock or metal that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
- When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere, they burn up and are known as meteors or shooting stars.
- Meteors are also known as falling stars when they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
- Only a few meteors reach the Earth's surface as meteorites each year.
Asteroids
- Asteroids are found in the asteroid belt, an area between Mars and Jupiter.
- The largest asteroid in our solar system is Ceres.
- The second largest asteroid in our solar system is Vesta.
- Trojan asteroids are a group of asteroids that are near Jupiter's orbit.
- Asteroids that have left the asteroid belt and spun into other orbits are called Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).
- Halley's Comet is a type of short-period comet that takes less than 200 years to travel around the Sun.
Coma and Tails
- A cloud called a coma is created at the head of a comet when it gets close to the Sun, due to the Sun's heat vaporizing the comet's ices.
- Comets' tails are formed when the comet approaches the Sun and the Sun's heat vaporizes the comet's ices, creating a trail of gas and dust.
General
- Asteroids, comets, and meteors have in common that they are all small bodies in our solar system.
- Only a few meteorites reach the Earth's surface each year.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge about various objects found in space, including asteroids, comets, meteors, planets, stars, satellites, and more. Learn about the characteristics and origins of these celestial bodies.
