CHAPTER 13 METEOROIDS, ASTEROIDS, COMETS

Learning Outcomes:

1. To learn about other celestial bodies in the solar system including

meteoroids, asteroids, and comets

13.1 Meteoroids, asteroids and comets

1. Meteoroids
➢ It is a small solid body that floats in outer space with various sizes, from as fine
as sand up to 1 metre.
➢ It is a fragment from the nucleus of comets and asteroids, so meteoroid is smaller
in size.
➢ Low density meteoroids are made up of rock; high density meteoroids are made
up of iron or nickel.
➢ Move freely in space and are influenced by the planets’ and moons’ gravity
around them.

2. Meteor
➢ When a meteoroid coincidently moves near the Earth, the gravity of the Earth will
pull it closer. The friction between the surface of the meteoroid and the molecules
of air produces a lot of heat and burns the meteoroid.
➢ The meteoroid burns brightly in the atmosphere to produce a streak of light in the
sky called meteor (shooting star).
3. Meteorite
➢ Smaller meteoroids burn and disintegrate in the atmosphere before they reach the
ground. However, larger and denser meteoroids that do not disintegrate and strike
the surface of the Earth are called meteorites.
➢ Meteorites will form a large hole on the surface of the Earth called a meteor
crater.

Asteroids
1. It is a celestial body that is larger in which the diameter can range between 1m and up
to 1000km. Large asteroids are known as planetoids (small planets).
2. Asteroids are irregular in shape, have craterous surface and does not have an
atmosphere.
3. Asteroids orbit the sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. There are
also asteroids that move around the sun outside asteroid belt.
4. They can be categorized into three groups based on the main elements they are
comprised of. For example, C-type asteroids are made up of carbon as its main
element; S-type asteroids are made up of silicate as its main element and M-type
asteroids are made up of iron metal and nickel as the main elements.
5. Example of asteroids: Ida, Lutetia, Eros and Vesta.
 Comets
1. A comet is a lump of ice, rock, dust and frozen gases that orbit the sun. Each comet
has one head and a long tail. The measurement of the head can reach 250000km
whereas the tail part can reach 150 million km.
2. Head of the comets:
➢ Consists of a nucleus, which is a lump of rock, ice, methane, ammonia, carbon
monoxide and water
➢ Consists of a coma, which is dust and frozen gases surrounding the nucleus
3. Tail of the comets:
➢ The dust tail contains dust particles of the rock; the gas tail contains charged
particles of gases and appears bluish due to the scattering of blue light
4. Most of the comets are found in the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud.
5. Comets revolve around the sun in elliptical or elongated shaped orbits. When a comet
approaches the sun, the ice in the head sublimates into gas, which is then blown by
solar wind to form long tails.
 Impact of asteroids and other objects on Earth
1. Asteroids and meteoroids in the outer space are generally harmless to Earth. Scientists
monitor their movement for potential impact with Earth and spacecraft.
2. The Torino Scale is a scale used to measure the impact of hazard of an object that can
endanger or hit the Earth, ranging from scale of 1 to 10.
3. If large meteors and meteorites enter the Earth, they can cause natural hazards. Large
meteors that explode in the atmosphere can produce 500 kilotons of force that may
produce shock waves, which then may cause burns and death, damage buildings and
crops.