Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors

A. Comet = Loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles whose orbits are usually very long, narrow ellipses.

B. Elliptical orbit around the sun

C. Asteroids – Are rocky objects that revolve around the sun in fairly circular orbits between Mars and Jupiter. (Asteroid Belt)

D. Meteors – A chunk of rock or dust in space that come from comets or asteroids. They strike our planet about 1 every 10 minutes. (shooting star)

E. Planetary Satellites – Are objects that are caught in the gravity of a larger planet or planet like object. They then orbit the object like our Moon.

Create a poster of the solar system at a rough

scale1. What produces light?

2. What reflects light?

3. Why is gravity important is shaping stars, the solar system, and planets?

4. What is an AU? What do they measure?

5. What is a light year? What do they measure

6. What causes comets and asteroids to orbit the sun?

7. In the background draw and label the three different types of galaxies.