Asteroids, Meteoroids, and

Comets

AsteroidA very small, rocky planet that orbits the Sun.

Meteoroids Like miniature

asteroids. Chunks of rock

and metal that orbit the Sun.

AsteroidsAsteroids and MeteoroidsMeteoroids are located in the Asteroid Belt, in the area between Mars and Jupiter.

Meteoroid, Meteor, Meteorite, Crater

MeteoroidOne of the

countless bits of rock and metal, smaller than an asteroid, which orbits the Sun or a planet.

MeteorA meteoroid

falling through a planet’s atmosphere and burning brightly because of friction.

MeteoriteThe part of a

meteor that crashes into the surface of a satellite.

CraterThe bowl-

shaped dent in the surface of a satellite caused by the impact of a meteorite.

What causes this?!

Gravity!

GravityThe force that might attract a

meteoroid toward a planet.

Meteoroid -> meteor -> meteorite -> crater

CometA ball of cosmic

snow, ice, and dust that comes from the icy cold edges of the solar system and orbits the Sun.

As a comet’s orbit brings it closer to the Sun, the Sun’s heat turns some of its snow into gas, which forms the comet’s tail.

The comet’s tail ALWAYS points away from the sun!

Why can we see a comet?

We can see comets because it does not encounter enough friction in space to cause it to heat up and burn. When the ice turns to vapor (from the Sun melting it), particles of dust trapped in the ice break free. Radiation streaming out from the Sun pushes this material away from the comet in a long tail that always points away from the Sun. These particles reflect sunlight, and it is this reflected sunlight that makes the comet visible to us on Earth.