Asteroids Cristal Locke Catch a falling star!

Asteroid Pre-Test The asteroid belt is between which 2 planets? Are all the asteroids in the asteroid belt? Are asteroids bigger or smaller than planets? What are asteroids made of? What is the name of the first asteroid found?

Asteroids Rocky or metallic objects. Most orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt. Asteroid belt is between Mars and Jupiter.

They are big! Asteroids are large. They are sometimes called minor planets.

Comic Relief

Will it crash? It takes 3 – 6 Earth years for an asteroid to orbit around the sun. Jupiter’s gravitational force keeps the asteroids from crashing into the inner planets.

Kirkwood Gaps The belt is not smooth. There are gaps (holes) in the belt. These gaps are called Kirkwood Gaps.

How many? 40,000 known asteroids The first one discovered was named Ceres. It was discovered in 1801. It’s also the largest asteroid discovered.

Asteroid or Moon? Asteroids can be pulled out of their orbit and orbit a planet instead of the sun. Phobos and Deimos (Mars moons) may have once been asteroids.

Interactive Puzzle http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/radiobuttonquiz/Asteroidpz.shtml

Asteroid Clay Make your own asteroid from clay. Make sure your asteroid has a distinct shape, bumps, and a cratering pattern. Pictures will be taken of your asteroid. You will later identify your asteroid.

Comets Cristal Locke

Comet Pretest What is the nucleus of a comet made of? Name a well-known comet whose visit was recorded in ancient times? Does a comet's tail ever face the Sun? What is the name of a comet that crashes into the sun (or gets so close that it burns up)?

Label the Comet

Comets A comet is a small icy body that orbits around the sun.

It is made up of: a nucleus – solid, frozen ice, gas and dust a gaseous coma – water vapor, CO2, and other gases a long tail – made of dust and ionized gases

Comet Tail Its long tail always points away from the sun because of the force of the solar wind (a continuous stream of ions (electrically charged particles) that are given off by the sun) The tail can be up to 250 million km long, and is most of what we see.

Label the Comet

Comet Parts Coma – blob of gas that surrounds the nucleus of a comet Dust Tail – long, wide tail that curves because of the comet’s motion Hydrogen Envelope – hydrogen gas that surrounds the coma and trails for millions of miles

Comet Parts Ion Tail – tail of charged gas particles (ions) that always face away from the sun Nucleus – frozen center of the comet’s head

Comet’s Orbit

Comet Exploration NASA's Student Mission will visit the Comet Wild 2 in 2004. It will take a sample of comet particles and return them to Earth. The small spacecraft (about 770 pounds = 350 kg) was launched February 7, 1999 and will rendezvous with comet Wild 2 in January, 2004. It will return to Earth on January 15, 2006, and land in western Utah, USA.

Sungrazers Some comets crash into the Sun or get so close that they burn up; these comets are called sungrazers.

Haley’s Comet Haley's comet is earliest-recorded sighting was It was recorded in 240 B.C. in China Edmund Halley was the first person to recognize that it was periodic. It was last seen in 1986 and will be seen next in the year 2061; its period is 76 years.

Popular Comets A Few Comets Discovered Last Visit Next Visit Period (Years) Biela 1772 1852 Broken Up 6.62 Encke 1786 2000 12/23/03 3.28 Faye 1843 1999 2006 7.34 Hale-Bopp 7/23/95 1997 4377 2380 Halley 240 BC 1986 2061 76 Hyakutake 1/30/96 1996 31,496 29,500 Kohoutek 3/7/73 1973 76,973 75,000

Hale-Bopp Comet http://www.anw.com/halebopp/heaven.htm

Make a Comet http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/