SELF-LEARNING HOME TASK (SLHT)

Subject: SCIENCE Grade: 8 Level ________ Quarter: SECOND Week: 9

MELC: Compare and contrast comets, meteors, and asteroids Competency Code: S8ES-IIg-22

Name __________________________ Section ________ Date ________

School __________________________ District __________________________

A. Readings/Discussions

Has Earth ever been hit by a comet or an asteroid?

If yes, how have such impacts affected Earth?
How often does a comet or an asteroid hit Earth?

Comets and asteroids are referred to by astronomers as Near-Earth objects (NEO).

Comets are icy bodies or objects while asteroids are rocky fragments. They are remnants
from the formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago.
The table below summarizes the similarities and differences between comets and
asteroids.
Table 1. Comparison of some characteristics of comets and asteroids
Characteristics Comet Asteroid
Origin Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Main Asteroid Belt
Shape Varied/Irregular Varied/Irregular
Size range of diameter 1-10 ( nucleus only) 1-100++
(km)
Chemical composition Ice (frozen water);frozen gases Silicates ( olivine and
(ammonia, methane, and carbon pyroxene), iron, nickel
dioxide); other organic compounds
(carbon-containing compounds)
Orbit Highly elliptical More rounded
Orbital period (years) 75 to 100,000++ 1-100

Comets and asteroids both orbit the Sun and move relatively slow when viewed from Earth.
This means, you can see a comet for up to a year in the night sky (or even during the morning
if the comet is bright enough). The major difference
is their origin or where they came from in space.
Comets usually come from the Oort Cloud which is
beyond our Solar System, and a few from Kuiper
Belt which is just beyond Neptune’s orbit. Long-
period comets come from the Oort Cloud, while
short period comets come from the Kuiper Belt.
Comet Halley, the most famous comet in the 20th
century is the only known short-period comet. It
takes 75-79 years for Comet Halley to orbit the Sun.
All other comets that have been identified are
classified as long-period comets and takes 200 to
hundred millions of years to complete their orbit
around the Sun. Asteroids, on the other hand,
originate from the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. This belt is theorized by
scientists to be remnants of a planet that did not completely form.

Have you ever seen a shooting star in

the night sky? It appears as an object
with a tail just like a comet. It travels
quickly and appears to fall on the
ground. A shooting star is another
name for a meteor. But the truth is: a
meteor is not a star at all. A meteor is
a light phenomenon or a streak of light
that occurs when a meteoroid burns
up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. A
meteoroid is a broken up rock and
dust from either a comet, asteroid, the
Moon, or from Mars.

A meteoroid can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as a boulder. When it enters Earth’s
atmosphere, the air in front of the meteoroid heats up, causing materials to burn up. From
Earth, these glowing materials appear as a streak of light or a fast-moving bright object that
appears to have a tail just like a comet. What differentiates the two when we see them in the
sky is that a comet moves slowly and appears in the sky for a long time. A meteor moves
swiftly and seems to fall on the ground. It “shoots” from a point in the sky, making people
think that it is a shooting or falling star. Also, a comet is difficult to see with the unaided eye
because it is farther from Earth compared to a meteoroid entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Sometimes, a comet can be bright enough to be seen by the unaided eye, but this is rare, such
as in the case of Comet Hale-Bopp.

The figure below shows images of an asteroid, meteoroid, and comets.

B. Exercises

Exercise 1 What happens when a comet or an asteroid hits the Earth?

Directions:

1. Fill the rectangular tray with colored flour abour 3-4 centimeters deep..
2. Place the tray on top of a table (or armrest of a chair)
3. Throw a pebble to hit the flour in the tray. Do this about four times, hitting different
parts of the flour in the tray.
4. In the space below, draw the shape of the “craters” made by the pebble on the colored
flour as:
a. Viewed from the top. b. viewed from the side

5. Compare the shape of the pebble’s “crater” with the shape of the impact crater photo
shown below.

Meteor Crater near Winslow,Arizona, USA

( Permission obtained from the Center for Science Education, UC Berkeley Space Sciences
Laboratory)

( Photos taken from Grade 8 Science Learner’s Material)

Q1. What do you notice about the shape of the pebble’s crater and the shape of
the impact crater shown in the photo? ______________________________

Q2. What do you think happened to the plants and animals living in the area
where the comet or asteroid crashed? ______________________________

Example:

The shape of Chicxulub impact crater

Exercise 2 :Is it a Comet, Asteroid or a Meteoroid?

Directions:

Identify the following descriptions if it belongs to a comet, asteroid or meteoroid.

Example:

NEO that can be found in Oort Cloud and a few from Kuiper Belt.

Answer: comet

1. has a shorter orbital period and its origin is most likely from the Asteroid Belt which
is nearer than the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
2. a fragment from a comet, an asteroid, moon, or even Mars
3. spend most of their time in the outer solar system
4. collection of ice, dust and small rocky particles whose orbits are usually very long,
narrow ellipses
5. moves slowly and appears in the sky for a long time
6. burns up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and when its fragment survives and makes it
to the ground, it is called as meteorite
7. a small rocky or metal object, usually between the size of a grain of sand or a boulder,
that orbits the sun
8. object larger than a meteoroid that orbits the sun and is made of rock or metal
9. formed by violent collisions among planets
10. has so much gold, iron, and nickel
 B. Assessment/Application/Outputs

Directions: Write if the statement gives correct information and if does NOT.

Example:

Comets are icy bodies.

Answer:

1. Meteoroids are significantly smaller than asteroids.

2. Most of the objects come from asteroids, which are objects made of various types of
rock and have existed since the origin of the solar system.
3. Asteroids are usually made of frozen water and supercold methane, ammonia and
carbon dioxide ices.
4. Meteors have two tails: a dust tail and a plasma tail.
5. Comet orbits are usually elliptical.
6. Many meteoroids formed in the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belts.
7. Comets are not spaceships or alien bases. They are fascinating bits of solar system
material that date back to the formation of the Sun and planets.
8. Asteroids are minor planets, especially of the inner Solar System.
9. Comets are found between Mars and Jupiter.
10. It takes 70 years to see once again a long period comet.

D. Suggested Enrichment/Reinforcement Activity/ies

Compare comets, asteroids, and meteoroids by completing the table below.

COMET ASTEROID METEOROID

Composition

Origin

References:

MELC p. 4 , TG. pp.103-109, LM pp. 153-162

Prepared by: Edited by:

DONABELL A. MACACHOR

Reviewed by:
 JUVIMAR E. MONTOLO
Education Program Supervisor-Science

GUIDE

For the Teacher

Welcome to the Science 8 Self –Learning Home Task on Comets, Asteroids, and Meterors!
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent learning
activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help learners acquire the
needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.
As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this SLHT. You also
need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage their own learning.
Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included
in the SLHT.

For the Learner

Welcome to the Science 8 Self-Learning Home Task on Comets, Asteroids, and Meterors!
This SLHT was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for guided and
independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to process the contents of
the learning resource while being an active learner.

For the Parent/Home Tutor

Welcome to the Science 8 Self-Learning Home Task on Comets, Asteroids, and Meterors!
As parent/home tutor, you are expected to provide support and encouragement, and expect your
children to do their part. Struggling is allowed and encouraged. Don’t help too much. Becoming
independent takes lots of practice.