1. OTHER OBJECTS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

2. COMETS
ASTEROIDS
METEOROIDS
METEORS
METEORITES

3. THE COMET

4. A COMET IS A LARGE CHUNK OF ICE, DUST, FROZEN GASES (carbon dioxide), AND ROCK FRAGMENTS THAT MOVES THROUGH SPACE.
Comets originate in an icy cloud that surrounds the solar system beyond the orbit of Pluto

5. THE OORT CLOUD
Named after Dutch astronomer, Jan Oort who proposed the presence of this cloud
A spherical cloud surrounding
the solar system & extending out
3 light years or 100,000 A.U.’s
(Earth is one A.U. ….Pluto is 39 A.U.’s from the sun)
Oort Cloud is known as the birthplace for all comets
Considered the edge of the sun’s gravitational influence

7. Halley’s Comet Orbits the sun every 75-79 years.
Last seen in 1986; will be seen again in 2061
As seen in Bulgaria on March 12, 1986
Nucleus is about 16 km. across

8. ASTEROIDS

9. ASTEROID- A large chunk of rock traveling through space
Most asteroids are located between Mars and Jupiter- known as the Asteroid Belt
Many have probably been captured to form moons
Asteroids can be a few feet to several hundred miles wide
The belt probably contains at least 40,000 asteroids that are more than 0.5 miles across

10. METEOROIDS, METEORS AND METEORITES
A METEOROID IS ANY PIECE OF
ROCK THAT IS TOO SMALL TO BE CALLED AN ASTEROID.
WHEN EARTH PULLS THE METEOROID TO OUR ATMOSPHERE, IT BECOMES A METEOR.
A METEORITE IS THE NAME GIVEN TO A METEOR THAT STRIKES EARTH’S SURFACE

11. Most meteors burn up completely when entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Friction causes the meteor to glow as it streaks across the sky.
There are about 120 impact craters on Earth

12. Meteor crater in Arizona
BARRINGER CRATER
Meteor crater in Arizona
Formed about 50,000 years ago by an iron meteor about meters in diameter
Crater is 1200 meters in diameter and 200 meters deep-about 12 football fields in diameter