COMETS,

ASTEROIDS, AND
METEORS
SABLAY
A PPT DISCUSSION UNDER
LEARNING MODULE
LEARNING
S8ES-IIg-22

OBJECTIVE:
• Compare and contrast comets, meteors, and asteroids

Performance
Standard
discuss whether or not beliefs and practices about comets and
meteors have scientific basis
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Comet, Meteor or Asteroid?
Explain how you know.
 Comets
• Comets are composed of
dust and rock mixed with
frozen water, methane, and
ammonia
• Comets are considered to
be like a large, dirty
snowball
• Comets travel around the sun in elliptical orbits

• When a comet nears the sun, some of it melts and forms a

long tail (gases in the comet are vaporized by the sun)

• When a comet moves farther away from the sun, the tail
disappears
• After a comet has passed close to the Sun many
times, it breaks apart. The small pieces from the
comet spread out.
• These pieces of dust and rock, along with those
coming from other sources, are called Meteoroids.
You may have noticed that in the last slide we used the term
Meteoroids to describe objects in the sky, but your essential
question and the standard say Meteor.

What’s the difference?

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Meteoroid, Meteor,
Meteorite?
The difference is just based on
where the rock is located when
you are describing it.
 Meteoroid is a “space rock” that is still in
space

Meteor is a meteoroid that burns

up in the earth’s atmosphere
(Shooting Star)

Meteorite is a meteoroid that

hits
the earth’s surface
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 A Meteor is considered harmless
even though it can be viewed from
earth at times.
 Aste ro i ds

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ASTER
OID
• A piece of rock similar to the material
formed into planets.
• An Asteroid is smaller than a
planet but larger than a meteoroid

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• Most asteroids are located in an area
between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter called the Asteroid Belt.
• Why are they located there?
• The gravity of Jupiter might have
kept a planet from forming in the area
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Directions: Read and analyze the statements carefully. Encircle
the appropriate heavenly body that corresponds to the
following statements. (15 POINTS)
Characteristics Heavenly Bodies

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Objects in Space Organizer
Directions. Fill in the missing portions of the organizer (please see
attachment on the next slide) by putting the following data below. You may
provide another sheet of slide or MS Word to accomplish this activity. (10
POINTS)

Come Meteoroi Asteroid A fragment coming

t d from the composition
Meteo of comets
r A large, solid rock
Meteorite that can be found This is also known as
between the two shooting star because this
planets, Jupiter and rock from the outer space is
A meteoroid that has
Mars burned up due to Earth’s
landed on Earth’s 18
Objects in Space

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Suggested
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zemP1zQ2Vko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zitWHxuwHDw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq08aYq3FAg

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