1. Asteroids, Meteroids and Comets
The Solar System
Asteroids, Meteroids and Comets

2. Objectives
Explain why comets, asteroids, and meteroids are important to the study of the formation of the solar system
Describe the similarities of and differeces between asteroids and meteroids
Explain how cosmic impacts may affect life on Earth

3. Did You Know???
In space, astronauts cannot cry, because there is no gravity, so the tears can't flow.
Source -

4. Comets Comets – A small body of ice and rock loosely packed together
Comets are leftovers of when the solar system was forming

5. Comet Tails
As a comets passes close enough to the sun it gets 2 tails, an Ion tail and a Dust tail
A comet only has a tail
as it gets closer to the
sun

6. Comet Tails

7. Comet Orbits
Comets pass close to the sun in one part of their orbit and far in another part of their orbit

8. Comet Orbits

9. Hale-Bopp Comet

10. Hykutake Comet

11. Halley’s Comet

12. Asteroids
Asteroids - rocks much smaller than planets that revolve around the Sun
Asteroids can be made of different metals or rocks and are not always round

13. Asteriod Belt
Asteroid Belt – The region between Mars and Jupiter where most of the asteroids in the solar system orbit

14. Asteroids of the Solar System

15. Asteroids of the Solar System

16. Kuiper Belt
Kuiper Belt – The region beyond Neptune similar to the asteroid belt, made of many small bodies

17. Eros

18. Eros (closer)

19. Gaspra

20. Ida

21. Hektor

22. Meteoroids
Meteoroid – A small rocky body that travels through space. (No orbit)
Meteorite – A meteoroid that reaches the surface of the Earth without burning up in the Atmosphere
Meteor – A meteoroid that burns up in Earth’s atmosphere

23. Impacts on Earth

24. Manicouagan Crater – Quebec (Canada)

25. Barringer Crater – Arizona (U.S.)

26. Barringer Crater – Arizona (U.S.)

27. Bosumtwi Crater – Ghana (Africa.)

28. Goses Bluff Crater – Australia

29. Chicxulub Crater – Yucatan (Mexico)

30. Craters from Space

31. Review The photosphere is the visible part of the sun on the earth
The Sun id not burning, it creates energy through nuclear fusion
The sun’s nuclear fusion comes from changing hydrogen into helium
Sunspots are colder spots on the suns surface
Solar Flares are hit spots that shoot out from the sun
Earths magnetic field and atmosphere protect it from the sun

32. Journal
What do you believe we could learn about our solar system by studying what asteroids and comets are made of?