1. Near earth objects (neos): Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids
Characteristics, Composition, & location
S6E1 e. Ask questions to compare and contrast the characteristics, composition, and location of comets, asteroids, and meteoroids.

2. Characteristics - comets
Sometimes called “dirty snowballs”
When close to the sun, ice vaporizes, producing a spectacular streak of gas, referred to as a “tail”
The tail is visible for several nights and stays in the same place relative to the background stars at night
Many travel in a slow, highly elliptical orbit around the sun

3. Bodies in space made up of ice, dust, rock, and frozen gases
Composition - comets
Bodies in space made up of ice, dust, rock, and frozen gases

4. Location/origin - comets
Oort Cloud (just past the outside edge of the solar system) - Long period comets
Kuiper belt – (just past Neptune) – short period comets

6. Asteroids

7. Characteristics - asteroids
Small, irregular shaped object that orbits the sun
Believed to be left-over pieces of planets and moons

8. Asteroids visited by spacecraft. Some can reach to over 250 km across
Asteroids, “space rocks” that are too small and too numerous to be considered full-fledged planets.
Asteroids visited by spacecraft. Some can reach to over 250 km across

10. Composition - asteroids
Huge chunks of rock and metal (iron and nickel)

11. Location/origin - asteroids
Between mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt

12. Meteorite, Meteoroid, Meteor? What’s the difference?

13. Characteristics - Meteoroids
Sand grain to boulder-sized
A meteoroid is a chunk of rock or dust in space.
Meteoroids usually come from comets or asteroids.

14. Characteristics - Meteors
A METEOR IS A STREAK OF LIGHT THAT LASTS FOR A FEW SECONDS WHEN A METEROID BURNS UP IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE
A METEOR IS ALSO KNOWN AS “SHOOTING STARS”

15. Characteristics - MeteORITES
A METEORITE IS A METEROID THAT HAS PASSED THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE AND HITS EARTH’S SURFACE
Meteor Crater Video

16. Composition – Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites
Small, rocky

17. Composition – Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites
3 TYPES:
STONY
IRON
STONY-IRON
(P. 99 IN YOUR WORKTEXT)

18. Location/origin- Meteoroids
SPACE

19. Location/origin- Meteors
A METEROID THAT HAS ENTERED THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

20. Thin Streaks

21. Location/origin - Meteorites
A METEOROID THAT HAS HIT THE EARTH’S SURFACE

23. 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”

24. 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.

25. 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 ______________.

26. 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.