Celestial Objects and Constellations

Dwarf Planets Dwarf planets orbit around the Sun, but do not dominate their orbit There are 5 recognized dwarf planets:

Asteroid Belt Located between Mars and Jupiter and contain thousands of asteroids Asteroids: _______________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Occasionally run into Earth and other planets

Comets Dirty snowballs made of _____, ____, _____ and sometimes tiny traces of ______ material

Comets Parts of a comet: _________: Irregularly shaped object made of rock, dust, ice and frozen gases _________: A temporary atmosphere around the nucleus _________: The dust tail reflects the Sun’s light and may be influenced by the movement of the comet. The Ion tail is created by solar wind reacting with material on the comet to produce a tail that is directed away from the comet

Meteoroid to Meteor to Meteorite

Meteoroid to Meteor to Meteorite ___________: A lump of rock or metal smaller than an asteroid travelling through space ___________: A meteoroid that has become trapped in Earth’s gravity. Friction from Earth’s atmosphere causes the meteor to glow. ___________: A meteor that has enough mass to strike the surface of Earth before burning up

Constellations Prominent _____________objects that form ________________________ in the night sky. The IAU (International Astronomical Union) recognizes 88 constellations, but only 20 are truly prominent and may be easily identified

Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Made up of _______stars Imagined by different cultures to represent a bear. The ‘Dipper” is described in different cultures because it points to the __________.

Ursa Minor (Little Dipper) Also made up of ___ stars Discovered by ____________ Contains _________ at its “handle”

Ursa major and Ursa Minor If one extends the last two stars in the “_________” of Ursa Major, it will connect to ______________ (in Ursa Minor)

Polaris AKA North Star AKA Pole Star The ________________ star in the Ursa Minor constellation. _____ light years from Earth Actually a multiple star system

Orion: The Hunter Can be seen from ____________ to ____________ Easily recognizable Used to _______ other stars

Orion: The Hunter Orion’s belt may be used to locate ___________ (the brightest star in the night sky)

Canis Major – “Greater Dog” ___________________ constellation Contains ____________ (brightest star in the sky) and ______________ (Largest known star)

Homework Read 8.6 and try questions 1-7