Comets, Meteors and

Asteroids
Grade 8
2nd Quarter
Earth and Space
Week 6
 Learning Goals and
Standards
• Compare and contrast comets,
meteors, and asteroids.
 Objectives:
1. Compare and contrast meteoroids,
comets, and asteroids.
2. Predict the appearance of comets
based on recorded data of previous
appearances.
3. Show appreciation for the night sky.
 Introduction
• Scientists have developed a new scheme
for classifying members of the solar
system. The International Astronomical
Union decided on new definitions of the
members of the solar system: the Large
Solar System Bodies (LSSB), the Small
Solar System Bodies (SSSB) and the
Dwarf Planets.
 What do you
think when you
look at the sky at
night?
 Let’s connect the past!
• What is solar system?
• What are the planets in the solar
system?
SMALL SOLAR
SYSTEM
BODIES
Comets, Meteors, and
Asteroids
How Bodies Revolve Around the
Sun
• Comets, meteroids and asteroids
travel around the sun just like
planets.

• Johannes Kepler

• Three laws of planetary motion

 LAW OF PLANETARY
MOTION
1. The law of ellipses
2. The law of equal areas
3. The law of harmony
ASTEROID
S
 Asteroids
• Historically called as planetoids.
• Discovered in 1801.
Asteroids
• Are small rocky objects
that orbit around the sun
between Mars and Jupiter.
• Sizes range from 1,000
km to less than 1 km in
diameter.
 Asteroid Belt
• There are more than 100, 000
asteroids
• Missing planet
 Types of Asteroids
• Asteroids are composed of various
materials:
Ice
Rock
Different metals
Types of Asteroids
1. Carbonaceous
Asteroids. C- Type
2. Metallic Asteroids.
M-Type
3. Silicaceous
Asteroids. S-Type
 Carbonaceous Asteroids
C- Type
• 75% of the asteroid population
• Farther from the sun
• Contain much carbon
 Metallic Asteroids
M-Type
• 8% of the asteroid population
• Middle portion of the belt
• Metals are detected in these asteroids
 Silicaceous Asteroids:
S-Type
• 17% of the asteroid population
• Inner belt, closest to the sun
• Have large amount of silica
 Asteroid
• International Astronomical Union is
responsible for naming the asteroids.
• Other origins of asteroid:
 Beyond Neptune
 Kuiper belt
COMETS
 COMETS
• Appear as bright, luminous objects
streaking across the sky
• Looking like a hairy head and a long
tail
Parts of a Comet
 The Period of a Comet
• May vary from several decades to
thousand of years
• Edmund Halley (died in 1742)
• Halley’s comet
• Predicted on 1758
• 76 years
 Period of a Comet
Comet Period
Shoemaker-Levy 10 years
Halley’s Comet 76 years
Comet Swift- Turtle 120 years
Comet Ikeya- Seki 880 years
Comet Hale-Bopp 4,000 years
Comet Hyatuke 30, 000 years
Comet Kohoutek 150,000 years
Comet West 250, 000 years
 The Orbit of a Comet
• Comets have long
periods because they
have orbits that extend
far out and beyond the
solar system.
• The sun is located near
one end of the orbit.
Sungrazers
 Origins of a Comet
• Kuiper (like viper) belt- beyond the
orbit of Neptune
• Oort cloud – far beyond the orbit of
Pluto
 Let’s see what you can do!
• Predict the appearance of comets based on
recorded data of previous appearances.
Complete the table below.

Comet Previous appearance Next appearance

Shoe maker levy

Halley’s comet

Comet swift-turtle
 METEORS,
METEOROIDS,
AND
METEORITES
• What is the difference between the
three?
• Meteoroids – are small bodies of rocks and
metal that glitter the solar system
• Meteors – meteoroids that enter our
atmosphere
• Meteorites – when meteors survive and reach
the ground
 Meteor Showers
• Numerous “falling stars” or meteors
are seen, sometimes as many as two
per minute!
 Meteor Showers
• Perseids
• Orionids
• Leonids
• Geminids
 Impact Craters
• Occasionally, some meteorite reach
the ground.
 Impact Craters
• Meteor craters
 Integration

• Create a short quote or hash tag

showing your appreciation of the
night sky.
 It’s Nice To Know…
“Great men are meteors designed
to burn so that earth may be
lighted”.
-Napoleon quote

We can be like meteors that give light to others

and to the earth. 
 Let’s check what you’ve
learned!
• What is the difference between
comets, asteroids and meteors?
• What is the difference between
meteoroids, meteors and meteorites?
 Assessment:
• The orbits of bodies that go around
the sun follow orbits that are
______.
a. Curved c. Circular
b. Elliptical d. Radial
 Assessment:
• Asteroids closest to Jupiter have a
composition that is mostly
________.
a. Carbon c. Silica
b. Metal d. Water
 Assessment:
• Halley’s comet comes around every
_______.
a. 76 years c. 1, 000 years
b. 150 years d. 7,500 years
 Assessment:
• Suppose you see a comet above the
horizon at the west just after the
sun has set and it is dark enough to
see the comet, describe how the
comet’s tail appears.
 References:
• Angeles, Delfin C. et.al., Science
Vistas 8. SalesianaBOOKS by Don
Bosco Pres, Inc. 2013
• Ferriols-Pavico, Josefina Ma. Et.al.,
Exploring Life Through Science.
Phoenix Publishing House. 2017.