Comet Famous Comets

A comet is 1. Hale-Bopp
A long period comet with
a snow ball an irregular orbit due to
in the Solar Jupiter’s gravity.

System. Came close to the sun in

1997 and gave the
brightest view of a comet
since 1811.

Predicted to be back after

Nucleus- contains icy chunks and frozen gases with bits 2370 years.
of embedded rocks and dust. It is the permanent solid
part of the comet.

Coma- forms a huge dusty atmosphere around the

nucleus of the comet. When passing close to the Sun, it 2. Halley
Short period comet
heats up and begins to outgas, displaying a visible
that passes the
atmosphere or coma. It could reach up to and beyond
100,000km. Earth every 76
years.
In 1950, Dutch astronomer Jan Oort proposed that
Last seen in 1986
certain comets come from a vast, extremely distant,
spherical shell of icy bodies surrounding the solar
system.

This giant swarm of objects is now named the Oort

Cloud, occupying space at a distance between 5,000 3. Hyakutake
and 100,000 astronomical units. Came close to the sun
in 1996.

Types of Comet- Its orbital period is

about 40,000 years.
1. Short-period Comets
They are those that orbit the sun every 200 years or
less. They are from the Kuiper Belt.
4. Kohoutek
2. Long-period Comets
Long period comet
These are comets that orbit the sun for more than 200
observed by the
years. They are from the Oort Cloud.
astronauts in the Skylab
in 1973 to 1974

Its estimated orbital

period is 50,000-200,
000.
 5. Temple 1 Meteoroids
A short period comet
They are huge fragments of rocks and debris in space
which was studied by
but smaller than an asteroid.
Deep Impact probe in They have a speed of 11-72 kph before they enter the
2005 and was atmosphere.
revisited by Stardust When they reach the atmosphere, they are called
in 2011 meteor.
When meteors fall into Earth, they are called
Its orbital period is
meteorites.
5.5 years.
Meteoroid Name Speed (km/s)
6. Holmes
It was discovered in
1892. Leonids 71

It was seen again in Perseids 61

March 2014.
Orionids 67
It is believed to
appear again in Lyrids 48
______ (year).
Geminids 35

7. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Fall Taurids 30

Smashed into Jupiter which is the biggest crash of
a comet on a planet in 1994. Delta Leonids 23

Draconids 23

Eta Aquarids 66

Other Characteristics of Comets

- Some comets speeds up to 2,000,000 kph on
Meteors
their perihelion (the point nearest the sun).
They are objects
from the space
- Comets slow down to 1000 kph on their that enter the
aphelion (the point farthest from the sun). Earth’s
atmosphere and
- The size of comets can range from 1 km in burn up.
diameter to 300 km. They come in
different colors.
- Yellow-
- Apparition is the term used for a comet’s high Fe
appearance and reappearance. content
- Purple-
high Ca
content
Types of Meteors Meteorites
Earthgrazers – have long and colorful tails Meteorites are
and it streaks close to the horizon. They heavy for their
size.
bounce off Earth’s atmosphere and reenter Meteorites are
outer space. attracted to
magnets.
Fireballs – they are bigger than Their exterior color
is fairly darker.
earthgrazers. They do not have
– longer and brighter than holes and have
earthgrazers. rounded corners.

Bolides – brighter and even more massive

than fireballs.
– explode in the atmosphere in
which can be heard and felt on the ground.
ex. meteor impact in Chelyabinsk Russia
Meteor Shower: Shooting Star
It happens about 50-80 km above the ground.
Meteors appear in different colors.

Barringer in ARIZONA

Tungusa in 1908
 Asteroids
Called minor planets
or planetoids.
Means “star-like”
Rocky and metallic
object are found
between Mars and
Jupiter

Classification of Asteroids
C- Type- made up of
carbon

S- Type- made up of
silica

M-Type- made up of
metal (iron and
nickel)

3 Largest Asteroids
Ceres – largest asteroid with a diameter of 950 km.
– as big as France.
Vesta – the brightest and the second most
massive asteroid.
Pallas – third largest asteroid
Modified True or
False
1. Mercury is the hottest planet due to the
greenhouse gases in its atmosphere.
2. Pluto was not able to clear its neighborhood
around its orbit thus, it is no longer a major
planet.
3. Uranus is a terrestrial planet.
4. Jupiter is known for its Great Dark Spot.
5. The color of the soil in Mars is red due to
the abundance of sulfur oxide.
6. Uranus rotation revolves around the sun for
-17.2 hours.
7. Makemake assumes an elongated shape
because it rotates very fast.
8. Eris is the largest dwarf planet in the solar
system.
9. Kuiper belt is found outside the solar
system.
10. Ceres is found in the Kuiper Belt.
Modified True or
False
1. Mercury is the hottest planet due to the
greenhouse gases in its atmosphere.
2. Pluto was not able to clear its neighborhood
around its orbit thus, it is no longer a major
planet.
3. Uranus is a terrestrial planet.
4. Jupiter is known for its Great Dark Spot.
5. The color of the soil in Mars is red due to
the abundance of sulfur oxide.
6. Uranus rotation revolves around the sun for
-17.2 hours.
7. Makemake assumes an elongated shape
because it rotates very fast.
8. Eris is the largest dwarf planet in the solar
system.
9. Kuiper belt is found outside the solar
system.
10. Ceres is found in the Kuiper Belt.