COMETS
Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust
that orbit the Sun. They range from a few miles to tens of
miles wide.
When a comet’s orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up
and spew gases and dust into glowing head that can be
larger than a planet. The dust and gases would then form a
tail that stretches for millions of miles.
WHERE DO COMETS COME
FROM?
Comets are mostly found way out in the solar system. Some
exist in a wide disk beyond the orbit of Neptune called the
Kuiper Belt. Comets located here are called ‘short-period
comets’. They take less than 200 years to orbit the Sun.
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/internal_resources/3253/
WHERE DO COMETS COME
FROM?
Other comets are in the Oort Cloud, the sphere-shaped,
outer edge of the solar system that is 50 times farther away
from the Sun than the Kuiper Belt. Comets here are called
‘long-period comets’ because they take much longer to orbit
the Sun.
EXAMPLES OF SHORT-PERIOD COMETS AND
THEIR ESTIMATED ORBITAL PERIODS
Comet Halley Comet Encke
75-76 years Comet Borrelly 1,204 days / 3.3 years
2,484 days / 6.8 years
EXAMPLES OF LONG-PERIOD COMETS AND
THEIR ESTIMATED ORBITAL PERIODS
Comet Hyakutake Comet Hale-Bopp Comet McNaught
113,782 years 2,533 years 92,663 years
PARTS OF A COMET
Nucleus – is the frozen core of the comet. When
comets are out in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud,
scientists believe that pretty much all of them is just
frozen nuclei.
PARTS OF A COMET
Coma – is formed when a comet comes close to the Sun and
starts heating up. The ice eventually turns to gas. When the
comet heats up it also causes jets of gas to burst out of the
comet, bringing dust with it. The gas and dusts would then
create a huge fuzzy cloud around the nucleus, which is the
coma.
PARTS OF A COMET
As dust and gases stream away from the nucleus, sunlight
and particles coming from the Sun push them into a bright
tail that stretches behind the comet.
Dust Tail – is the tail traces a broad, gently curving path
behind the comet. It looks white and is made of dust.
Ion Tail – is the bluish tail made up of electrically charged
gas molecules, or ions. It always points directly away from
the Sun.
WHAT ARE COMETS MADE OF?
Comets are made up of:
• dust,
• rock,
• ice,
• ammonia,
• Methane,
• Carbon Dioxide, and
• other organic compounds
ASTEROIDS
Asteroids are rocky remnants left over from the early
formation of our solar system about 4.6 million years
ago. They orbit the Sun like planets, however, they
are much smaller than planets.
WHERE DO ASTEROIDS COME
FROM?
Asteroids originate from the Main Asteroid Belt between
Mars and Jupiter. This belt is theorized by scientists to be
remnants of a planet that did not completely form. They take
3 to 6 years to orbit the Sun.
https://www.astronomytrek.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/asteroid-belt.jpg
EXAMPLES OF LONG-PERIOD COMETS AND
THEIR ESTIMATED ORBITAL PERIODS
Asteroid Vesta Asteroid Pallas Asteroid Ida
3.6 years 4.62 years 4.84 years
WHAT ARE ASTEROIDS MADE
OF?
Asteroids are made up of:
• dust,
• rock,
• Silicate,
• Iron, and
• Nickel
HOW DO COMETS AND
ASTEROIDS ORBIT THE SUN?
Comets orbit the Sun in a highly elliptical shape while
asteroids orbit it in a more rounded shape like those of
planets.
METEOROIDS
Meteoroids are broken up rock and dust from either a
comet, asteroid, the Moon or from Mars.
METEORS
When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere or that of
any planet, like Mars, at high speed and burn up,
they’re called meteors. They are also referred to as
“shooting stars”.
SHAPES OF COMETS,
ASTEROIDS, AND METEORS
Comets, asteroids, and meteors have varied and
irregular shapes.
METEORITES
Meteorites are meteors that don’t entirely burn up
during its trip through Earth’s atmosphere.
SOME METEORITES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Bondoc Pampanga Pantar
ASSIGNMENT
Research on articles or new of comets, asteroids, and
meteors that came near Earth or have been discovered
from the past year until from the start of the year.
Write down on your notebook their names, when they
were discovered, orbital periods (for comets and
asteroids), or significant events like when they will be
visible from Earth.
