7th Grade Space Physical Properties Notebook PDF

Asteroids, Meteors, and Comets © The Science Duo  Asteroids A large, rock-shaped object in space that orbits the Sun – smaller than planets Composed of rock and metal Numerous craters on their surfaces Most asteroids are located in the Asteroid Belt –...

Asteroids, Meteors, and Comets © The Science Duo  Asteroids A large, rock-shaped object in space that orbits the Sun – smaller than planets Composed of rock and metal Numerous craters on their surfaces Most asteroids are located in the Asteroid Belt – between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter Ceres – the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt Vesta – the brightest asteroid visible from Earth Inner Outer Planets Planets  Comets Chunks of ice and dust travelling through space Revolve around the Sun – long, elliptical orbits Composed of 3 main parts – nucleus, coma, and tail A comet’s tail always points away from the Sun Also referred to as “dirty snowballs” Examples of Comets Comet Hyakutake Comet McNaught Comet Kohoutek  Structure of a Comet Nucleus – inner layer of a comet’s head Coma – outer layer of a comet’s head Tail – gas and dust pushed away from the comet due to solar wind - can be millions of kilometers long Tail Nucleus and Coma  Meteoroids A rocky object that orbits the Sun Much smaller than asteroids – most are about the size of a pebble Meteoroids are most likely bits of asteroids or comets that have broken off Often composed of nickel and iron (metals) Artist representation of a meteoroid in space  Meteors A meteoroid that has entered Earth’s atmosphere Can heat up to nearly 2,000 degrees Celsius travelling through the atmosphere Produces a streak of light in the sky Also referred to as “shooting stars”  Meteorites A meteor that has hit or landed on the surface of Earth Most meteorites are very small, cause little damage, and only weigh a few pounds 3 types of meteorites – stony, stony-iron, and iron The Willamette meteorite is the largest discovered meteorite in the United States (15.5 tons = 31,000 pounds)  Oort Cloud A shell that surrounds our entire solar system and sun Tons of comets that have icy bodies Any comets that take more than 200 years to orbit the sun are said to come from the Oort Cloud.  Kuiper Belt Donut shaped ring beyond neptune Ring is made out of icy objects Icy comets are smaller than the Earth’s moon Nickname is “Planet 9”  Moon Also known as a satellite Is an object that revolves or orbits around a planet Our planet Earth has ONE moon Other planets have more than one  Planet A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a Star. Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Solid, Dense, Rocky Planets ○ Mostly made of rock and metals None of the inner planets have rings Outer Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto Larger in size Mostly gaseous, low in density, and made of lighter materials Have more moons than the inner planets  Sun The sun is the star the Earth orbits around elliptically. Life is not possible on the sun due to the hot temperature and radiation.  Checkpoint 5 checkpoint questions Discuss each question with a partner Write a complete answer to each question on your notes page  Question 1 Briefly compare and contrast comets and asteroids.  Question 2 What is the difference between a meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite?  Question 3 Where are most of the asteroids in the solar system located?  Question 4 Identify and describe the 3 main parts of a comet.  Question 5 How do you think scientists are able to tell the difference between rocks and meteorites?