8

NOT

SCIENCE
Quarter 2 – Module 5
Comets, Meteors and Asteroids
Science – Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 5: Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education – Division of Gingoog City

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 8

Science
Quarter 2 - Module 5
Comets, Meteors, and
Asteroids
 Table of Contents

What This Module is About ......................................................................................................... i

What I Need to Know .................................................................................................................. i
How to Learn from this Module .................................................................................................. ii
Icons of this Module ................................................................................................................... ii
What I know ...............................................................................................................................iii

Lesson 1:
Characteristics of Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids
What I Need to Know ..................................................................................................... 1
What’s New: Activity 1: Describe Me ............................................................................. 2
What Is It ........................................................................................................................ 3
What I have Learned: Activity 2: My Characteristics ..................................................... 6
What I can Do: Activity 3: Ask and Act .......................................................................... 7

Summary ................................................................................................................................... 7
Assessment: (Post-Test)......................................................................................................... 8
Key to Answers ........................................................................................................................ 9
References .............................................................................................................................. 10
 What This Module is About

Advancement in space technology allowing scientists coming from different

ields like physics, chemistry, biology, and geology to a band on studying Near-Earth Objects
(NEO) like comets and asteroids. Using the more powerful telescopes and space probes in studying
comets and asteroids provides more clues about our scheme begun. For quite three years, several
amateur and professional astronomers successfully discovered multiple NEO’s that are closer to
Earth, the foremost current asteroid is Asteroid 2012 DA14. The said asteroid made enough distance
to Earth because it orbited the Sun last February 16, 2012, Philippine Time). On the identical day,
as asteroid step into Earth’s atmosphere and blew up over Lake Chebarkul in Russia damaging
about 1,000 people within the process. These two incidents resulted in superstitions that haven't
any scientific basis, worries, and different prophecies by different cultures. But do this stuff have a
scientific basis?

Your module will offer you an experience outside the planet, supplying you with a more in-
depth study the various celestial objects like asteroids, meteors, and comets.

What I Need to Know?

After going through this module, you should be able to:

1. Compare and contrast comets, asteroids, and meteors.
2. Draw how impact craters are formed when a meteor or asteroid hits Earth.
3. Value the importance and occurrence of comets, meteors, and asteroids.

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How to Learn from this Module
To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:
• Take your time to read the lessons carefully.
• Follow the directions and/or instructions in the activities and exercises diligently.
• Answer all the given tests and exercises.

Icons of this Module

What I Need to This part contains learning objectives that
Know are set for you to learn as you go along the
module.

What I know This is an assessment as to your level of

knowledge of the subject matter at hand,
meant specifically to gauge prior related
knowledge
This part connects the previous lesson with
What’s In that
of the current one.

What’s New An introduction to the new lesson through

various activities, before it will be presented
to you

What is It These are discussions of the activities as a

way to deepen your discovery and under-
standing of the concept.

What’s More These are follow-up activities that are in-

tended for you to practice further to
master the competencies.

What I Have Activities designed to process what you

Learned have learned from the lesson

What I can do These are tasks that are designed to show-

case your skills and knowledge gained, and
applied to real-life concerns and situations.

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 What I Know (Pre-test)

Directions: For each item, encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. The primary chemical constituent of comets is
A. water. C. methane.
B. nitrogen. D. carbon dioxide.
2. A meteor shower occurs when
A. a meteor is about to get married.
B. the earth passes through the asteroid belt.
C. the head of a comet hits the earth’s atmosphere.
D. the earth passes through a swarm of dust particles in space, the remnants of a
comet, once a year.
3. A meteorite is
A. a rock from space that strikes the ground.
B. a piece of rock passing through the earth’s atmosphere.
C. the trail left by a piece rock as it passes through the earth’s atmosphere.
D. all of the above.
4. Most of the asteroids orbit the sun in a belt between the orbits of
A. Venus and Mars. C. Mars and Jupiter.
B. Mars and Earth. D. Jupiter and Saturn.
5. The asteroids are
A. miniature planets. C. pockets of gas in the solar system.
B. satellites of planets. D. planets orbiting the stars other than the sun.
6. Comet tails are the result of
A. interplanetary material streaming into the comet.
B. melting and evaporation of ice from the comet core.
C. dust collected by the comet as it moves in its orbit.
D. solar wind blowing more gases from the central comet core.
7. Why are meteorites and comets important in studying the origin of the solar system?
A. They have recently formed themselves.
B. They are recently produced fragments of planets.
C. They represent the material that formed the planets.
D. None of the above
8. The orbits of most comets, which we see in the inner solar system
A. are nearly circular. C. never come closer to the sun.
B. are highly elliptical. D. are only slightly inclined to the earth’s orbit.
9. Most meteoroids are formed when
A. comets melted. C. asteroids exploded or collided.
B. volcanoes erupted. D. satellites exploded or collided.
10. Meteors are
A. falling stars.
B. signals from the other worlds.
C. solar wind particles captured by the earth’s magnetic field.
D. luminous trails left by small extraterrestrial particles rapidly passing.

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 Lesson
Characteristics of Comets,
1 Meteors, and Asteroids

What I Need to Know

Objective: After doing all the activities, the students will be able to compare and contrast
comets, meteors, and asteroids.

What’s New

Activity 1: Describe Me

Directions: Look at the drawing below. Describe the object by giving the meaning of each
letter of the word. The first letter of each word is done for you. Copy and answer in your
activity notebook.

Comets Meteor Asteroid

C - aptivating M - agnificient A - mazing

O E S
M T T
E E E
T O R
R O
I
D

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 What is it?

Comets

Ever since people know already about comets. you'll ask your grandparents about
comets, which they'll tell you some superstitions about comets bring bad luck! Why?
Because there are those who believed that comets were bad spirits that the looks of a girl
with a head and its long hair behind. To others, the looks of a comet as a sword, it is believed

to be an indication of war, death, and famine

Figure 1. Images of a meteor (www.space.com)

Some characteristics of a comet are vague, bright big dirty snowball composed of rock
dust covered around an massive ball of ice. This charming sight within the sky is moving very
slowly but remain in our sight for weeks before disappearing out of view. A comet enters a large
elliptical orbit. because the comet travels closer to the sun, it ought lose an amount of its material.
However, when it comes back to the place an element of the system, it slowly appears smaller
and gloomy until it disappears completely. Sometime, the characteristic of a comet may have a
solid and rocky core for it to endure traveling around its orbit as a dark barren asteroid. Comets
don't give energy and lightweight therefore, it's not visible. But since it travels closer to the sun,
the comet becomes clear because the warmness of the sun melts the ice of the comet and turns
it to gas. This gas develops into a coma, which coverss and hides the nucleus from our view. One

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part of the comet is that the so-called head. it's composed of a nucleus and coma. It becomes
bigger as more gas and mud are released from the coma. The radiation blows more and more
gas from the coma causing it to create a tail, which in some comets, can reach up to 150 million
kilometers in length!

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 Figure 2 shows the parts of a comet (www.solarsystem.nasa.gov.earth)

Most comets are thought to originate from a huge cloud called the Oort cloud, which
is too far away for astronomers to see.

Figure 3. Halley’s Comet (www.solarsystem.nasa.gov.earth)

One of the foremost unique short-period comets is that the Halley’s Comet because it's
a mean orbital period of fewer than 200 years, Halley’s Comet appears once every 76 years.
Because most other comets are long-period comets which will take up to 1,000,000 years to
orbit the sun. Hale-Bopp comet is an example of long-period comets. Based on the study
there's no clear evidence showing that a comet has ever hit into the world. But some scientists
claimed that comet is one in every of the most possible reasons that designate the extinction
of dinosaurs million years ago. They hypothesized that an oversized comet entered into the
world and caused an enormous distraction like earthquakes, tsunami which presently caused
the changes within the temperature and climate and eventually done in dinosaurs.
Meteors
You can ask your parents and other members of the family a couple of falling star? what's
a falling star? are you able to catch it? Will it slot in your pocket? Another known celestial
object within the scheme is that the meteors. they're dust and ice from the pathway of comets.
Meteors are stone-like but made from several minerals and rich in silicon and oxygen, “iron”,

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 Figure 2. Meteors
(www.accuweather.com)

consisting mainly of iron and nickel, or “stony-

iron”, a mix of the 2. When meteors travel through
the layer of the earth's atmosphere friction
caused them to heats up, and so the meteor’s
surface starts to warm up and flare. that is the
time the warmth and high speed combine to vaporize the meteor usually high above Earth’s
surface. many folks considered meteor as a falling star or visible radiation. it'll happen when
a meteoroid is passing through the Earth’s atmosphere and heats up within the process. You
can differentiate an asteroid and a meteor through their characteristics, an asteroid could be
a small rocky object that travels round the Sun. A meteor will occur when a small piece of an
asteroid or comet, which is understood as a meteoroid, flare-up upon traveling Earth’s
atmosphere.

The observable light emitted by a meteor may take on various colors, depending on
the chemical composition of the meteoroid, and the speed of its movement through the
atmosphere.
Color of meteors are depending on the relevant influence of the metallic content of the
meteoroid and the super-heated air plasma, which its track produces:
• Orange-yellow (sodium) • Violet (calcium)
• Yellow (iron) • Red (atmospheric nitrogen
• Blue-green (magnesium) and oxygen)

MORE INTERESTING METEOR FACTS

• There are millions of meteors in the Earth’s atmosphere every day.

• Meteors can become visible as high as 120 kilometers above Earth.
• Meteors can give off various colors when they burn which is associated with their
composition.
• Meteors that burn brighter than usual are called fireballs.
• Most fireballs go unseen because they occur over the ocean or during daylight hours.
• Meteors usually burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• If a meteor produces a sound, called a sonic boom, it is typically heard seconds after the
meteor becomes visible.
• Although meteors have existed since ancient times, they were not believed to be from
our solar system until 1833.
• Usually, meteors are the size of pebbles and no larger than a baseball.

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 Asteroids
Another fascinating object within the system are the asteroids, they simply rocky or
metallic objects orbiting the sun within the same way that planets orbit. However, asteroids
are hard to determine because they're reflecting little light and that they are always moving.
No asteroids have an environment. Asteroids are available all sizes and shapes. Some
asteroids that are tiny as pebbles and a few are as big as mountains. and since they're smaller
than planets, they're often called minor planets or planetoids. Ceres is that the largest of the
asteroids. it's about 930 kilometers in diameter. are you able to imagine how huge that is? like
every other big rock, they will be potato-shaped, papaya-shaped, or have strange shapes!

Figure 1.Asteroids (www.space.com)

There many asteroids orbiting the sun during a region between Mars and Jupiter. This
area is named the belt. they're following a rather elliptical path because they orbit the sun within
the same direction as the planets. A larger object like a planet can be pulled an asteroid out of
orbit. And once an asteroid is captured by the gravitational pull of a planet, it should become a
satellite of that planet. Many astronomers believe that the 2 satellites of Mars, Phobos, and
Deimos, are captured asteroids. If it's not due to the enormous planet Jupiter that pulls the
asteroids outward, large asteroids would constantly be hitting Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Earth.
I hope you continue to remember those inner planets that you just learned from your previous
module. You already learned that the belt is closer to Jupiter than it's to the sun, Jupiter exerts
more gravitational pull on the asteroids than the sun. leading to the asteroids to stay in orbit off
from the inner planets.

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 What I Have Learned

Activity 2: My Characteristics
Directions: After exploring the amazing asteroids, comets, and meteors, test yourself if you
can compare and differentiate the three: comets, meteors, and asteroids. Below are some
characteristics of comets, meteors, and asteroids (1-15).
Choose from the following (A-G), and write the letters before each characteristic in your
activity notebook.

A. if it refers to comets
B. if it refers to meteors
C. if it refers to asteroids
D. both comets and meteors
E. if it refers to both meteors and asteroids
F. if it refers to both asteroids and comets
G. if it refers to all (comets, meteors, and asteroid)

Characteristics:
1. Progress across the sky very slowly
2. Known as falling stars or shooting stars
3. Remnants of the formation of the solar system
4. They glow as they enter the earth’s atmosphere
5. Reflect sunlight
6. Rocky composition
7. Orbit the sun in highly elliptical orbits s
8. Minor planets
9. Mostly found between Mars and Jupiter
10. Can reach 150 million km in length
11. Most have slightly elliptical orbits
12. The result from the collision of asteroids
13. Streak across the sky very fast
14. Come in all sizes and shapes
15. Icy object

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 What I Can Do

Activity 3: Ask and Act

Objectives:
After performing this activity, the students must be able to:
1. provide sound, scientific evidence to support one’s stand about superstitions
on comets, asteroids, and meteors; and
2. formulate doable actions to address superstitions on comets, asteroids, and meteors.

Materials Needed
Pen
Paper (for taking notes)
Procedure:
1. Research about superstitions related to comets, meteors, and asteroid by
interviewing your parents or elderly members of the family of any sources available
at home.
2. Choose at least 3 superstitions.
3. Discuss each superstition with your family to answer the question: Do superstitions
about comets, meteors, and asteroids have scientific basis? Why or Why not?
4. List down as much scientific evidence to support yours answer to the question.

Data:
1. Do superstitions about comets, meteros, and an asteroids have scientific basis?
Why?

2. What scientific facts/evidence to support your answers?

3. Proposed actions to promote a more scientific understanding of comets, asteroids,

and meteors.

Summary

Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors also are considered as celestial objects that orbit
round the sun. they are available in several sizes and shapes. Asteroids follow a rather
elliptical orbit, a comet could be a fuzzy, luminous big dirty snowball composed of rock dust
wrapped around a giant ball of ice. Comet has the following parts: the nucleus, head, and tail.
Meteor could be a piece of a stony or metallic object which all travels in space and every one
features a great impact on the planet when reaches the earth’s surface.

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 Assessment (Post-Test)

Direction: For each item, choose the letter of the correct answer and write it in your activity
notebook.
1. Most of the asteroids orbit the sun in a belt between the orbits of
A. Venus and Mars. C. Jupiter and Saturn.
B. Mars and Earth. D. Mars and Jupiter.
2. The primary chemical constituent of comets is
A. water. C. methane.
B. nitrogen. D. carbon dioxide.
3. A meteorite is
A. a rock from space that strikes the ground.
B. a piece of rock passing through the earth’s atmosphere.
C. the trail left by a rock as it passes through the earth’s atmosphere.
D. all of the above
4. A meteor shower occurs when
A. a meteor is about to get married.
B. the earth passes through the asteroid belt.
C. the head of a comet hits the earth’s atmosphere.
D. the earth passes through a swarm of dust particles in space, the remnants of a
comet, once a year.
5. The asteroids are
A. miniature planets. C. pockets of gas in the solar system.
B. satellites of planets . D. planets orbiting the stars other than the sun.
6. Why are meteorites and comets important in studying the origin of the solar system?
A. They have recently formed themselves.
B. They are recently produced fragments of planets.
C. They represent the material that formed the planets.
D. none of the above
7. Comet tails are the result of
A. interplanetary material streaming into the comet.
B. melting and evaporation of ice from the comet core.
C. dust collected by the comet as it moves in its orbit.
D. solar wind blowing more gases from the central comet core.
8. Meteors are
A. falling stars.
B. signals from the other worlds.
C. solar wind particles captured by the earth’s magnetic field.
D. luminous trails left by small extraterrestrial particles rapidly passing through the
air.
9. The orbits of most comets, which we see in the inner solar system
A. are nearly circular. C. never come closer to the sun.
B. are highly elliptical. D. are only slightly inclined to the earth’s orbit.
10. The first satellite to discover a comet was/were
A. Mariner 2. C. Hubble Telescopes.
B. Vikings 1 and 2. D. Infrared Astronomical Satellite.

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Key to Answers

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References

Asteroids and Comets. Retrieved July 28, 2004, http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities

Asteroids. Retrieved September 2, 2004, http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov

Do Superstitions about comets, asteroids, and meteors have a scientific basis? First Edition
2013 Department of Education-Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (DepEd-
IMCHS) Pasay City. Page 165-166

Ocampo, Pia C., et.al., Science – Grade 8 Learner’s Material Unit 2 Module 3, Activity 3,
Page 165-167

Project EASE – First-year Science Learner’s Module 17, Other Minor Members of the Solar
System.2010 Edition. Department of Education. DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue,
Pasig Avenue
Space Object Differences from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz

https://www.solarsystem.nasa.gov.earth

www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Comets-and-Asteroids/How-Asteroids-and-Comets.html

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