Department of Education

Region III
DIVISION OF MABALACAT CITY

Name: ____________________________ Grade &Section:__________

School: _______________________________Date: _______________

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

SCIENCE 8- (Q2-WK6)
COMPARE AND CONTRAST COMETS, METEORS AND ASTEROIDS
I. Introduction

Have you ever wished on a meteor shower? In our generation today

meteor showers gives a positive mood and an amazing beautiful night sky but
did you know in the ancient times it is often feared because for them it is a sign
that a tremendous event will happen, without Science and space exploration to
aid understanding of what these space rocks and ice are, ancient cultures often rely
to myth and legend to explain them. With Science we have known that they have
been part of the on the development of Earth and the life on it but sadly the
future impacts can result to significant threat to human civilization.

In this activity sheet, you will be provided with activities that will
improve your understanding though comparing and contrasting meteors,
comets and asteroids.

II. Learning Competencies

This Learning Activity Sheets was designed and written with you in mind.
It is here to help you to compare and contrast the different rocks in the
space which are the meteors, comets and asteroids

III. Objectives
After going through this learning activity sheet, you are expected to:

1. Compare and contrast comets, meteors and asteroids;

2. Compare and contrast meteors, meteoroids and meteorite;
3. Identify the location or where on the space we can find the meteors, comets
and asteroids
IV. Discussion

What is a comet?

Comet is referred by astronomers as Near-Earth objects (NEO). Comets

are sometimes called dirty snowballs or “icy mudballs”. They are a mixture of
ices (both water and frozen gases) they are also believed to be frozen leftovers
from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock and ices. They
range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the sun,
they heat up and blew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger
than a planet. This material forms a tail that stretches millions of miles. There
are 3,643 known comets. Comets are invisible and become visible when they are
near the Sun. Comets go around the Sun in a highly elliptical orbit.
When they are near the Sun and active, comets have several distinct
parts the coma, nucleus, dust tail and ion tail. Comet Halley is the known
famous comet.

Source: Cristensen Tricia 2020 Comets retrieved October 17, 2020

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-comet.htm

What is the composition of a comet?

Comet is made of the following: Ice (frozen water); Frozen gases
(ammonia, methane, and carbon dioxide, other organic compounds (carbon
containing compounds)

Where can we find the Comets?

As theorized by astronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1951, a disc-like belt of icy

bodies exists beyond Neptune. Comets are believed to have two origin, Long
period comets(those take 200 years to complete an orbit around the Sun)
originates from Oort Cloud while the short period comets (those which take less
than 200 years to orbit the Sun) originates from Kuiper belt. The Oort cloud is
so far away we have never even seen it! The comets visible from Earth are most
likely ones that came from the closer Kuiper belt which is near Pluto.

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 Source: Asteroids, Comets and Meteoroids retrieved October 17, 2020 from
https://asteroidsmeteorsandcomets.weebly.com/why-do-comets-leave-their-ldquohomerdquo-in-
the-kuiper-belt-or-oort-cloud.html

What are asteroids?

Source: Space.com Killer Aasteroind retrieved October 17, 2020 from

https://www.space.com/killer-asteroids-warning-bill-nye.html

It is also known as Near-Earth Objects. Asteroids are small, rocky objects

that orbit the sun. Although asteroids orbit the sun like planets but they are too
small to be called planets that is why they are referred to as planetoids or minor
planets. There are millions of asteroids, ranging in size from hundreds of miles
to several feet across. In total, the mass of all the asteroids is less than that of
Earth's moon. 

Despite their size, asteroids can be dangerous. Many have hit Earth in
the past, and more will crash into our planet in the future. That's one reason
scientists study asteroids and are eager to learn more about their numbers,
orbits and physical characteristics. Asteroids can reach as large as Ceres
(largest asteroid), which is 940 kilometers (about 583 miles) across

Where can we find the asteroids?

There are lots of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the
main asteroid belt—a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientist
estimate that asteroid belt contains between 1.1 million and 1.9
million asteroids

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 Source: Planets Education Asteroid belt retrieved October 17, 20202 from
https://planetseducation.com/asteroid-belt/

What is the Composition of Asteroids?

Most asteroids are made of different kinds of rocks, but some have clays
or metals, such as nickel and iron. Asteroid does not have lights on its own,
they have silicates that reflect light.

What are a meteoroid, meteor and meteorite?

Meteoroids are known as the debris of the solar system; Sometimes one
asteroid can bump into another, this can cause small pieces of the asteroid to
break off. Those pieces are called meteoroids. Meteoroids can also come from
comets. It floats in the space before it can enter Earth’s atmosphere

Meteor, Meteoroid and meteor are just the same, their name just differ in
terms of their location. Meteoroids are found in the space. If a meteoroid comes
close enough to Earth and enters Earth’s atmosphere, it vaporizes and turns
into a meteor: light phenomena; they are not stars.. Because of their
appearance, these streaks of light or METEOR SHOWER sometimes called
"shooting stars" But meteors are not actually stars.

Most meteoroids that enter the atmosphere burn up completely as

meteors. In some cases, however, the meteoroid does not completely burn up,
and the object actually makes it to Earth’s surface. The chunk that has
survived and landed on land is called a meteorite.  There are three types of
meteorites; stony, stony-iron, and iron meteorites

Source: Stevan V. Acrophysics 2028 retrieved October 18, 2020 from

https://socratic.org/questions/how-are-meteoroids-meteors-and-meteorite-relate

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V. Activities

Activity # 1 KNOWING THE SPACE ROCKS

Direction: Complete the diagram comparing Asteroid, Comet and meteor.

Use the word/s in the table below. Draw a big diagram on your answer sheet.

Originates from Kuiper Located in the Asteroid Rocks in the space

belt Oort Cloud belt
Icy object Also known as Near Planetoids
Earth Objects
CERES Meteor shower Located between Mars
and Jupiter
Made up of frozen gasses Minor planet Debris of asteroid and
comet
Light phenomena Have Silicates that reflect When they reach the
light surface of the Earth they
are known as meteorite
Located beyond Neptune Made up of nickel and 3643 known examples
iron
Estimated numbers of When they are in the Also known as dirty
them are 1.1 to 1.9 space they are known as snowballs
million located between meteoroid
Mars and Jupiter

COMETS ASTEROID
SIMILARITIES
OF THE
THREE

METEOR

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Activity # 2 WHERE IN THE SPACE?

Directions: Identify the location of the space rocks in the solar system.
Choose from the choices below. Choices can be used repeatedly. Write your
answer on your answer sheet.

Kuiper belt Earth’s Surface of the Space

Atmosphere Earth
Beyond Oort cloud Asteroid belt Between Mars
Neptune and Jupiter

______________________1. Meteor can be found here

______________________2. Most visible comets came here

______________________3. Meteor shower can be found here

______________________4. Chunk of meteoroid can be found here

______________________5. A long period comet originates here.

______________________6. Short period Comets originates here

______________________7. This is where the comets are located

______________________8. Thus is where the Asteroid belt is located

______________________9.Thus is where the Meteoroid can be found

______________________10 This is where the meteorite can be found.

______________________11. It is known as the location of most asteroids in the

solar system

______________________12. Comets that orbit the sun in less than 200 years can
be found here

______________________13. Comets that orbit the sun in 200 years can be found
in this location

______________________14. Most comets that cannot be se seen can be found in

this location

_______________________15. In general Near-Earth Objects can be found here.

Activity # 3 What’s the difference?

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 Direction: Put a check mark on whether the statement describes
the location of Meteor, Meteoroid or Meteorite.

Meteor Meteoroid Meteorite

It is found in the
space

It is found in the
surface of the
Earth
It is found in the
Earth’s
Atmosphere

Guided questions:

1. Based from your answer in the table, what is the difference of Meteor,
Meteoroid and Meteorite?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Assessment
Fill in the blanks to complete the given statements. Choose from the
words inside the box. Write your answer on your answer sheet

METEO METEORITE
R
SHOWE

1_________________ is a light phenomenon or celestial event where

1-2. meteor are seen

2_________________fragment of meteoroid that survived and landed

in land

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 ASTEROI COMET
D

3______________ Icy objects

3-4.

4______________ rocky fragments made of nickel and iron

Kuipe Oort
r belt Cloud

5_______________ is where the long period comets are found

5-6.

6________________ is where short period comets are found

Silicate Dirty
s snow balls

7_________________found in asteroid and reflects light

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-
8. 8________________ is other known name for a Comet

ASTEROID BEYOND
BELT NEPTUNE

9_____________________ is where asteroid can be found

9-10.

10 _____________________ is where most comets can be found

COMET ASTEROIDS
S

11_________________made up of frozen gasses

11-12

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 12________________made up of rocks and metals

Long period Short period Comet

comet comet Halley
13_____________________ orbit the sun for less than 200 years
13-15
14_____________________ orbit the sun for about 200 years or
more than
15._____________________ It is known as the famous comet.

V. Reflection

Directions: Write the location of the following rocks in the space. Write you
answer on your answer sheet.

A.ASTEROID B.COMET C.Meteor D.Meteoroid E.Meteorite

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 VI. References

NASA SPACE EXPLORATION 2018 COMETS Accessed October 17, 2020

from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-
meteors/comets/overview/?
Page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=
102%3Aparent_id&condition_2=comet%3Abody_type%3Ailike

Star child question 2005 Where do comets came from accessed October
17, 2020 from
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/que
stion40.html#:~:text=Answer%3A,originate%20from%20the
%20Kuiper%20Belt.

Cristensen Tricia 2020 Comets retrieved October 17, 2020

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-comet.htm

NASA space place. Meteors retrievd October 18, 2020 from

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/asteroid-or-meteor/en/

Stevan V. Acrophysics 2028 retrieved October 18, 2020 from

https://socratic.org/questions/how-are-meteoroids-meteors-
and-meteorite-relate

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 VII. Answer Key

ACTIVITY #1 knowing
the space rocks

METEOR COMET ASTEROID SIMILARITIES OF

THE THREE
 LIGHT  Originated from  CERES  also known as
PHENOMENA Kuiper belt  Estimated Near Earth
 METEOR and Oort number of Objects
SHOWER Cloud them are 1.1  rocks in the
 DEBRIS OF  Made up of to 1.9 million space
ASTEROID frozen gasses between Mars
AND COMET  Located beyond and Jupiter
 When they Neptune  Located in the
reach the  3643 known asteroid belt
Earth they are examples  Minor planet
known as  Also known as  Have silicates
meteorite dirty snow that reflect
 When they are balls light
in the space  Made up of
they are nickel and
known as Iron
meteoroid  planetoids

ACTIVITY #2 Where in
the Space

1. Earth’s atmosphere 9. Space

2. Kuiper belt 10. Surface of the Earth
3. Earth’s atmosphere 11. Asteroid belt
4. Surface of the Earth 12. Kuiper belt
5. OORT cloud 13. OOrt cloud
6. Kuiper belt 14. Oort Cloud
7. Beyond Neptune or Kuiper belt or Oort cloud 15. SPACE
8. Between Mars and Jupiter

ACTIVITY #3 ASSESSMENTS REFLECTION

What’s the
difference

1.METEOR SHOWER 10. BEYOND NEPTUNE A.MAIN

1Meteoroid
2.METEORITE 11. COMTES ASTEROID BELT
2Meteorite
3.COMET 12. ASTEROID B.KUIPER
3Meteor
4.ASTEROID 13. SHORT PERIOD BELT/OORT
Guided question:
5.OORT CLOUD 14. LONG PERIOD CLOUD/BEYOND
Differ in terms of
6.KUIPER BELT 15.COMET HALLEY NEPTUNE
location
7.SILICATES C.ATMOSPHERE
8.DIRTY SNOW BALLS D. SPACE
9. ASTEROID BELT E. EARTHS
SURFACE

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VIII. Development Team

Development Team of the Learning Activity Sheets

Writer: Aileen D. Ocampo

Editor: Lea M. Basco
Reviewers: Marry Grace Macatula
Illustrator:
Layout Artist:
Management Team: Jennifer Q. Cunanan EdD
Lea M. Basco
John S. Eviota
Angelene Cruz
Juliane Nicole Paguyo

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Division of Mabalacat

P. Burgos St., Poblacion, Mabalacat City, Pampanga

Telefax: (045) 331-8143

E-mail Address: mabalacatcity@deped.gov.ph

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