306112- BARUCBOC NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Quezon, Isabela 3324

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COMETS, ASTEROIDS
AND METEORS
TOPIC CODE: S8ES-IIg-22

JAYSON AGBAYANI ATTABAN

Unit 2 Science Teacher
Module 3
CONTENT STANDARDS
The learners demonstrate understanding of characteristics of comets, meteors, and
asteroids.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
The learners shall be able to discuss whether or not beliefs and practices
about comets and meteors have scientific basis.

LEARNING COMPETENCY
The learners should be able to compare and contrast comets, meteors, and
asteroids.
Video play….
CAN YOU IDENTIFY
THESE CELESTIAL
OBJECTS?

Asteroid

Meteor

Comet
 Comets and asteroids are referred to by astronomers
as Near-Earth Objects (NEO).
 Comets are icy bodies or objects while asteroids are
rocky fragments.
 Comets and asteroids are remnants from the
formation of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago.

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS

COMPARISON OF SOME CHARACTERISTICS
OF COMETS AND ASTEROIDS
 Comets and asteroids have irregular shapes and
varied sizes. They both reflect light from the sun at
varying amounts depending on the size and
composition.
 Silicates are minerals which contain the minerals
that contain the elements silicon, oxygen, and at least
one metal which is responsible for comets and
asteroids to be able to reflect light.

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS

 Comets and asteroids both orbit the Sun.
 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 Kuiper Belt.

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS

KUIPER BELT
OORT CLOUD
COMETS
 Comets come from
regions of space very
far from the heat and
radiation of the sun.
 Comets are made of
frozen matter.
COMETS AND ITS PARTS
COMETS
 Comets are actually dark
and invisible. When a comet
is near the sun, it becomes
visible because tails are
formed.
 When a comet is
approaching the sun, its ion
tail is behind it but when it is
moving away from the sun,
its ion tail goes ahead of it.
 HALLEY’S COMET
 The most famous comet
of the 20th century.
 Only known short-
period comet.
 Ittakes 75-79 years for
Comet Halley to orbit
the Sun.

* Long-period comets take 200 to hundred millions of years to

complete their orbit around the Sun.
 Comet Hyakutake
Hale-Bopp
1996

FAMOUS COMETS
 ASTEROIDS
 Asteroids originate
from the Main Asteroid
Belt between Mars and
Jupiter.
 This belt is theorized by
scientist to be remnants
of a planet that did not
completely form.
 The orbit of an asteroid is more rounded and less elliptical
than the orbit of a comet.
 ASTEROIDS
 The asteroid Ceres was
discovered in 1801 by
Guiseppe Piazzi; it is
the largest asteroid.
 Asteroids are made of
rocks, ice, carbon, silica
and different metals.

 Asteroids are also called minor planets or planetoids.

ASTEROID BELT
EXAMPLE OF ASTEROIDS
 METEOROID
 It is a broken up rock and dust
from either comet, asteroid, the
Moon, or from Mars.
 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 appears
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 longer time.
 METEOR
 Itappears as an object with a tail
just like comet.
 It travels quickly and appears to
tail on the ground. A shooting
star is another name of meteor.
 But the truth is: a meteor is not a
star at all. Meteor is a light
phenomenon or a streak of light
that occurs when a meteoroid
burns up as it enters Earth’s
atmosphere.

*Have you ever seen a shooting star in the night sky?

METEORITE
 It is a fragment from the
meteoroid that survives and
makes it to the ground.

METEOR
SHOWER
 A meteor shower is a light
phenomenon caused by fragments
left by a comet as they orbit the
Sun. When the Earth orbits the sun
and passes through the comet
fragments, a streak of light is
produced.
 How
they
differ?
SOME EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS
ANNUAL METEOR SHOWERS
 STONY METEORITE
 STONY-IRON METEORITE
 IRON METEORITE

THREE TYPES OF METEORITE

STONY METEORITE
Stony meteorites, the
most common type of
meteorite, are generally
composed of
approximately 75-90%
silicon-based minerals,
10-25% nickel-iron
alloy, and trace
amounts of iron sulfide.
STONY-IRON
METEORITE
Stony-iron
meteorites contain
approximately even
or same amounts of
silicates and nickel-
iron alloy.
IRON METEORITE
Most iron meteorites
likely originated in the
cores of large
asteroids, and are
composed almost
entirely of nickel-iron
alloy, which is also a
primary component of
the Earth’s core.
FIVE METEORITES FOUND IN
THE PHILIPPINES
Meteorites are of importance to scientists in
studying the occurrence of different
elements and compounds on Earth. The
information is in turn important in studying
our mineral resources which is an important
industry in any country.

IMPORTANCE OF METEORITES
SUPERSTITIONS ABOUT
COMETS, ASTEROIDS, AND
METEORS
Does it have a Scientific
Basis?
DATE: 1145 CE
A Drawing from a book
written in Canterbury,
England around 1145.
 Throughout history, people have watched the bright objects
called comets in the sky.  At first, people knew very few facts
about comets, so they made up stories and beliefs about them. 
Their ideas often made comets seem threatening and
powerful.  Gradually, people began to observe, record, and
compare information on different comets. They began trying
to explain comets using the tools and methods of science. See if
you can see the changes in people's thinking as you look at
these pictures made at different times in history. We'll ask
what you think about some common comet questions, too.
 Continuation
 Many ancient people believed that the appearance of a comet
was a sign of bad luck to come. Others saw them as signs of
great events, or the rise and fall of a leader. They were not sure
of the source or origin of comets. Do you know where comets
come from? Even today scientists do not have all the answers
to this question.
DATE: 1300 CE
People in this era were
not sure about
whether comets enter
the earth's atmosphere
or are further away
like the planets or
even the stars.
 Continuation

 This painting was done on a church wall in 1303-1306 by an

artist named Giotto.  A bright comet had recently been seen in
1301. The artist used a comet as a symbol of the historic
moment because people in his time would still recall this
exciting event. Scientists today know that the comet of 1301
was Comet Halley. A spacecraft was launched in 1986 to study
Comet Halley.  The spacecraft was named “Giotto” after this
artist.
DATE: 1402 CE
This comet was drawn in a scene of
a daylight battle, in the year
1402. Does it seem strange that a
comet can be seen during the day?
People were not sure what comets
were made of or what made them
appear in the sky.  Many people
thought comets might be caused by
supernatural beings because they
were so bright.  What do you think
comets are made of?  Would you like
to know why they glow?
DATE: 1587 CE
London, The
Warburg Institute
 Continuation

 These paintings from the year 1587 show two kinds of

comets. By the 1500's, people had noticed that all comets
do not look alike. They observed the sky, recorded what
they saw, and tried to explain why there seemed to be
different kinds of comets. They thought one type of comet
would bring peace and abundance while another would
bring sickness, wars, and the burning of houses.  Comets
don't normally enter the Earth's atmosphere. People
discovered this with the use of telescopes invented in the
16th century (1500's).
 DATE: 1680 CE
Do comets return to Earth or only
pass by once?  Well, one thing that
will help answer this question is
knowing if a comet circles around
our Solar System, or just passes
by in a straight path. The scientist
Edmond Halley discovered that
the comets of 1531, 1607, and 1682
were all the same comet (guess
what it was named!) which
was revolving around our Sun
every 76 years.
Rotterdam, Atlas van Stolk
 Continuation

 Once people realized comets behaved in a regular way like the planets,
they seemed much less frightening. This 1680 painting of a beautiful
comet with a long, golden tale, reflects a more positive interest people
began to have about comets. This comet was so bright it could be seen in
the daytime, not just at night.
 Be an astronomer: Can you find the year for the next time Comet Halley
will appear?  Remember, Comet Halley has a 76 year period.  For
example, if it was seen in 1531, the next time it would have been visible
would have been: 1531 + 76 (years) = 1607 (keep adding 76 to figure out
other years it was seen).  So, if Comet Halley was viewed in 1986, when
is the next time it will be seen?  How old will you be when you see it?
DATE: 1858 CE
An artist named Mary Evans
made this picture showing a
comet seen over Paris, France
in 1858. Notice the artist made
two thin lines coming out of the
comet. What do you think the
lines might be? The word
“comet” comes from the Greek
name for "hairy star." Does this
picture give you any ideas why
the Greeks chose this name?
 Continuation

 It took people a while to figure out how to predict what path a

comet would travel. In the 1700’s and 1800’s scientists learned
to calculate the distances and speeds at which comets travel
around the sun. At that time, there were no computers or
calculators so everyone had to do the calculations by hand!
Where in the solar system would you go to look for a comet?
 DATE: 1900 CE
As they invented more powerful
telescopes and ways of
photographing comets during the
1900's, people discovered much
more about them. For instance, they
discovered that comets lose material
each time they pass the sun.  With
each trip around the sun, a comet
becomes smaller and smaller, and
may even disappear. Scientists
predict that some comets have a life
of about 76,000 years. These are the
comets that travel quickly around
the sun, like Comet Halley.
Early Photographs of Comets: Yerkes
Observatory

Comet Linear moving across the
sky 
DATE: 2000 CE
By now you may be wondering
when you might get a chance to
observe a comet
yourself. Astronomers now track
the locations of many comets, and
tell the public when a comet may
be visible, and where it will appear
in the sky. New comets are also
being discovered all the time with
today's powerful telescopes and
satellites. When this happens the
scientists name the comet, predict
its path, and how bright it may
be.  
 Continuation

 In the summer of 2000, a comet named Linear was discovered

as it approached the earth and sun. For a short time it was
visible at night with binoculars. Then Comet Linear violently
broke apart around July 26, 2000, when it made its closest
approach to the sun, leaving many smaller mini comets
instead of one large comet.
By now you may be wondering
when you might get a chance to
observe a comet
yourself. Astronomers now track
the locations of many comets, and
tell the public when a comet may
be visible, and where it will appear
in the sky. New comets are also
being discovered all the time with
today's powerful telescopes and
satellites. When this happens the
scientists name the comet, predict
its path, and how bright it may
be.  
The Greeks and Romans believed that the appearance of comets,
meteors and meteor showers were portentous. They were signs
that something good or bad had happened or was about to
happen. The arrival of a comet could herald the birth of a great
figure, and some people have even argued that the star in the sky
which the Persian Magi followed to Bethlehem to see the newborn
Jesus was actually a comet.
In the spring of 44BC, a comet that appeared was interpreted as 
a sign of the deification of Julius Caesar, following his murder.
Caesar’s adopted son Octavian (soon to be the Emperor Augustus)
made much of the comet, which burned in the sky during the
funerary games held for Caesar. This portentous event was
frequently celebrated in the ancient sources. In his epic poem, the
Aeneid, Virgil describes how “a star appeared in the daytime, and
Augustus persuaded people to believe it was Caesar”.
The Roman historian Cassius Dio referred to “comet stars”
occurring in August 30BC. These are mentioned as among the
portents witnessed 
after the death of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Experts are not
entirely sure what it means when Dio uses the plural term “comet
stars”, but some have connected this recorded event to the annual
Perseid meteor shower.
The approach of comets and asteroids comes with bad
luck, such as the arrival of the Halley's Comet.  In the
Western society, the meteors or the stars falling are
considered to be having good omen. When we see falling
stars, we wish upon them and hope to have better lives. 
The appearance of a comet is often seen as a sign of destructive
and tragic events, which will come to pass in the near future. --
In an ancient Chinese book, written in 300 B.C., it is explained
how the arrival of comets has caused various disasters, such as
wars, the dethronement of powerful leaders, mysterious whale
deaths and a lack of vital ingredients, such as salt, fish and rice.

CHINA
Superstitions about comets and asteroids, such as the fear that
bad luck will arrive with Halley`s Comet, are based in science
only so far as that these phenomena do occur. The bad luck that
comes along with them, however, has little to do with reality.
Superstitions about comets and asteroids have absolutely no
scientific basis what so ever

AMERICA
The superstitions that are related to meteor is that falling star or
wishing rock! **Superstitions about comets and asteroids, such
as the fear that bad luck will arrive with Halley`s Comet, are
based in science only so far as that these phenomena do occur.
The bad luck that comes along with them, however, has little to
do with reality. Superstitions about comets and asteroids have
absolutely no scientific basis whatsoever.

PHILIPPINES
 The superstitions that are related to comet and asteroid is that
it is death calling. People therefore are usually afraid to see
the comets and asteroids.
 People in Japan believe that if a comet, asteroid or meteor
appears it will bring death or the end of the world, that's why
whenever they see one of these, they are frightened because
they believe that they may die.

JAPAN
 Although science has overruled most former spiritual
and mythological beliefs about meteors, there are some
traditions left. In today’s Western society we ‘sort of’
believe stars falling from the sky are a good omen: we
wish upon a star and hope our lives get (even) better.
Catholics see the Perseids, an annual meteor shower,
as “the tears of Saint Lawrence”. St. Lawrence was the
early Christian version of Robin Hood, executed on the
10th of August in the year 258. Since the Perseids
reach peak activity between the 9th and 14th of August
you can see “the tears of St. Lawrence” fall from the
sky every August 10th. With good weather, that is.

1. THE TEARS OF ST. LAWRENCE

  Many other cultures believe a shooting star brings luck, like the Swabians in
Germany who thought it signalled a year of good fortune. Unless you saw three
meteors in one night, in which case death was upon you. The Yolngu Aborigines
used to believe that when they died they were taken by a mystical canoe. After
arriving safely in spirit land, the dead would send the canoe back to earth as a
shooting star for their loved ones to see.
 But falling stars were not always seen as a good omen. Some ancient cultures
believed meteors to be a display of anger from their gods. The Kawaiisu tribe of
Northern America feared meteors that would start high in the sky and fall down
to the horizon, for they were a sign sickness and death would come to the tribe.
The Nunamiut Eskimos used to think meteors were the faeces of stars, while in
Siberia falling stars were seen as ‘bloodsucking fireworms’.

2. FALLING STAR AS AN OMEN

 People tend to search for an explanation for
bad things that have happened to them. In
1665 about a quarter of London’s population
was killed by “The Black Death”, also known
as The Plague. One year later The Great Fire
of London ruined the lives of many and left
the city in ashes. The comets that were
spotted in 1664 and 1665 were later seen as a
prophecy of these terrible events, which is
why these “omens from the skies” were
feared by many in the 17th century.

3. THE BLACK DEATH

  Nowadays we collect meteorites because they are fascinating, sometimes
beautiful rock formations from afar and mysterious place in the universe. In the
old days meteorites were often used for building sacred Greek and Roman
temples. Meteorites have been found in Indian graves, and many other cultures
have been known to worship these “heavenly gifts”.
 Some indigenous tribes still do. A well-known example of the presumed mystical
powers of meteorites is the “Kris”; a dagger used in Indonesia. It is thought that
when a Kris is made from nickel from the 1749 meteorite near Prambanan, one
only needs to point the dagger to another person in order to kill.
 Although most societies no longer believe meteors have a spiritual side,
meteorites still hold a very special status. They come from parts of the universe
we will never see up close, and they give us a peek into their fascinating stories

4. THE POWER OF METEORITES

Superstitions about comets and asteroids, such as the
fear that bad luck will arrive with Halley's Comet,
are based in science only so far as that these
phenomena do occur. The bad luck that comes along
with them, however, has little to do with reality.
Superstitions about comets and asteroids have
absolutely no scientific basis whatsoever.
 The scientific basis? We know that our Earth has been
struck by a number of big comets/asteroids, some of
them responsible for mass extinction events (some are
theorized, other have been confirmed, like the KT
event).
 Comets and asteroids do pose a very real threat to us,
as they are capable of hitting with enormous force and
able to cause mass devastation.
 Conduct more studies about it, trying to understand their
orbits/patterns, chemical compositions, and look for signs of life. We
could also ask institutions like NASA and Planetariums to visit
schools and try to spread knowledge about them.
  As a student I would like to make an organization and talk to the
people how superstitious beliefs or scientific understanding are I will
tell them if those are true or not if those can affect our future or not.
END OF THE PRESENTATION
THANK YOU!!!!