Meteoroids! Asteroids! Comets! Oh, my!

Meteor, Meteorite, Meteoroid Meteoroid = meteorite in space Meteorite = small rock that strikes Earth Meteor “Shooting Star” = meteorite enters Earth’s atmosphere, burns up due to friction, produces light

Flagstaff, Arizona 49,000 years ago Meteorite about 150 feet in diameter Weighed 650 pounds Energy = 2.5 million tons of dynamite 4000 feet wide, 650 feet deep Still visible today Barringer Meteorite Crater

“Meteor Shower”

Comets/”Dirty Snowballs” Objects made of ice and dust -“Tail” due to ice changes states due to Sun’s heat -Form in Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt

Comets

Famous Comets Comet Hale-Bopp Halley’s Comet Comet Kohoutek

Asteroids Irregularly shaped rocky object Remains of when planets formed From 10 ft. to the size of a mountain Most between Mars and Jupiter (Asteroid Belt)

Large Asteroid hits Earth 65 Million Years Ago Asteroid 6 to 12 miles in diameter Produced an explosion = 100 trillion tons of dynamite Created a crater about 60 miles in diameter Near the Yucatan Peninsula

Torino Scale A system used to rate the hazard level of an object moving toward Earth

Review Q: What is the difference between a meteoroid, meteororite, and a meteor? Meteoroid = while in space a meteorite is called a meteoroid Meteorite = a small rock or rocky grain that strikes Earth’s surface Meteor = “Shooting Star”

Review Q: What is the difference between an asteroid and a meteoroid? The main difference is the size of the object. Q: Which is larger, asteroid or meteoroid? Asteroids are larger than meteoroids.

Review Q: Why is it important to study smaller bodies in our Solar System such as comets or asteroids? They help us learn about the history of our Solar System.

Review Q: Why do planets and moons with atmospheres have less impact craters than those without atmospheres? The atmosphere slows and burns smaller objects like meteorites, thus many do not reach the surface to create an impact.

Review Bright streaks of light that result when rocky bodies burn up in the atmosphere are called ___________. Frozen bodies made of ice, rock, and dust, sometimes called “dirty snowballs” are called _____________. Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun are called ______________.

Review Bright streaks of light that result when rocky bodies burn up in the atmosphere are called meteors. Frozen bodies made of ice, rock, and dust, sometimes called “dirty snowballs” are called comets. Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun are called asteroids.

Review Q: Discus what could happen if the Earth experienced another large asteroid impact. How would it affect life on Earth? Forests flattened for many miles If asteroid landed in water, it would cause giant waves and landslides Powerful Earthquakes

Review Q: Where is the Asteroid Belt? Asteroid Belt is between Mars and Jupiter Q: What is the Torino Scale? A system used to rate the hazard level of an object moving toward Earth