G8 3rd Quarter

Formation of the Planets
OBJECTIVE
➤ Describe asteroids
➤ Identify the basic components of an asteroid

Written Task 1 – 20 Points – Put on your Google drive
Research the definition of the FF and how they differ from each other
1. Asteroid
2. Meteor
3. Meteoroid
4. Meteorites
5. Comets
What's the Difference Between
Comets, Asteroids, Meteoroids, Meteors & Meteorites?
Kuya Cul pointed to a large poster of the solar
system. Rieza studied the poster. She realized
that in between the planets Mars and Jupiter,
there was a line of rocks! The label said that
those were asteroids. Below the poster, there
was a model of asteroids and a short
description of what they are.
Asteroids are solid, rocky-metallic, and

irregularly shaped objects in space that are
thought to be leftover material from the
formation of the solar system. Most asteroids
are found in the asteroid belt, a doughnut-
shaped ring that lies between Mars and
Jupiter. Although they orbit the Sun, asteroids
are too small to be considered planets. They
range in size from about the size of pebbles (50
mm) to around 1000 km
An asteroid’s composition is determined by its proximity to the
Sun. The heat of the Sun tends to melt ice and blow out light
elements from the asteroids.
A dark C or carbonaceous asteroids are composed of hydrogen

and other volatile elements found in the outer belt.
Bright S or silicaceous asteroids are composed of silicates of

iron and magnesium and are found in the inner belt.
Lastly, are found in the middle belt and are composed of

metallic iron.
Hundreds of thousands of asteroids are known to exist and many are yet to be discovered in the solar
system. Most of the undiscovered asteroids are the smaller ones which are less than 100 km across and
are more difficult to detect. It is estimated that there are over a million of these smaller asteroids.
Ceres and Vesta are two of the most massive objects within the asteroid belt.
Ceres, which is now classified as a dwarf planet, is believed to contain large quantities of ice. It was the
first and largest asteroid to be discovered. Its mass is said to be over one-third of the estimated total
mass of all the asteroids in the asteroid belt. It is also believed to contain at least 25% water more than
Earth’s freshwater.
Vesta, on the other hand, is an asteroid believed to be composed mostly of rocks—with basaltic rock on
its surface and a frozen lava. Some asteroids also have “moons” or orbiting body, like Ida and its moon
Dactyl. Another asteroid, named Chariklo, is known to have two dense and narrow rings around it.
Rieza reached a part of the exhibit that did not show rocks. Instead, it showed bright,
glowing spheres, its long tail streaking a glowing line through space. Rieza wondered if
they were wishing stars, but Kuya Cul said that they are not wishing star but comets.
Thankfully, a museum guide came by and helped Rieza learn more about comets.
The word comet came from the Greek

word kome or komete meaning “hair of
the head” or “long-haired head.” Comets
were first described by Aristotle as “stars
with hair.” Comets are believed to come
from the time when the solar system was
formed. They were described as dirty
snowballs which orbit the Sun.
A comet has a nucleus, which is its main

body, and is composed of rocks, dust, frozen
gases, and ice.
When a comet is far away from the Sun, it is an extremely dark, cold, and icy object.
As a comet travels closer to the Sun, it heats up and the frozen volatile gases in it begin to
sublimate off the surface, a process called outgassing, and form an atmosphere around the
nucleus called coma and a trail called the tail.
The tail is often visible only in the night sky.

Comet Tails
Comets can develop two tails—the gas or ion tail and the dust tail.
The dust tail is formed when solar wind and heat draw tiny dust particles away from
the nucleus of the comet, but since pressure from the Sun becomes weaker the
farther it gets, the dust particles end up forming a diffused trail behind the nucleus.
The dust tail reflects sunlight off its dust particles, so you can sometimes see it.
The gas or ion tail, on the other hand, forms when the frozen gases in the nucleus
sublimates. The gas tail is visible when the the particles forming it start to glow after
being activated by sunlight. These tails become longer the closer they get to the Sun.
Origin of Comets
Comets originate in two regions of the solar system. Some comets head toward the
inner solar system from a region called the Kuiper Belt, which is beyond the orbit of
planet Neptune.
The Kuiper Belt is a flat disc of icy debris that lies in the same plane as the ecliptic orbits
of the planets revolving around the Sun. These comets are called short-term comets
since they orbit around the Sun in less than 200 years
Other comets come from a region at the

extreme outer edge of the solar system called
Oort Cloud. The Oort Cloud is a huge round ball
that completely envelopes the Sun and the
entire solar system. These comets are long-term
comets because it could take 30 million years for
them to head towards the Sun and orbit around
it.
A comet can spend billions of years in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud. The path of comets around the Sun can also be
changed if they pass too close to a planet. Sometimes, two comets will come very close to each other or even crash into one
another. When these things happen, the comets can change directions. Sometimes they will bring themselves closer
towards the inner solar system. As they approach the warmer inner solar system, they begin to slowly melt and trail
magnificent, glowing tails.
One of the well-known comets is Halley’s

Comet named after English astronomer
Edmond Halley. It was Edmond Halley, along
with his contemporary Sir Isaac Newton, who
contributed to the first physical study of the
nature of comets. Halley first saw the comet in
1680, although records of humans observing
Halley’s Comet go back to thousands of years
ago. It is a comet than could be seen with the
naked eye from Earth every 75 to 76 years. It
last appeared in the inner solar system in 1986
and will return again sometime in 2061.
Superstitious Beliefs on Comets Since ancient time, it was believed that the appearance of a comet is a sign of
destructive or tragic events. This is because when people studied the sky, comets were one of the most
remarkable objects in the sky. Most celestial bodies travel across the sky at regular intervals, but comets
abruptly appear and are seemingly unpredictable. This led people from ancient cultures to believe that comets
are bad omen. Some people describe comets as a head of a woman with long flowing hair, which to them was a
sign of mourning. Some people saw comets as a fiery sword blazing through the night sky, which to them was a
traditional sign for war and death.
Comets caught on tape
Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites
Meteor Strikes Russia, Over 1,000 Believed Injured Year 2013
Exploring the science museum’s astronomy section, Rieza finally found herself standing
beside a huge model of rocks in space. “That is it!” she excitedly pointed towards an
exhibit showing rocks floating in space. “That is what I saw earlier.” She looked at the
labels. “Meteoroids. Meteors. Meteorites.” Confused, she looked at Kuya Cul. “Wait,
which of these describes the rock I saw?” “Well, all of the words there can refer to one
rock, depending on its location in space.” “What?” Reiza looked so surprised. She then
decided to read the descriptions in the exhibit.
Meteoroids are believed to have come from asteroids. These are described as stone-like
debris from asteroids that travel through outer space. Meteoroids vary in sizes—from dust
particle-sized to around 10 meters in diameter. Most of them, though, are smaller than a
pebble.
Very few meteoroids travel the path towards

the Earth’s atmosphere and then get out of it.
These types of meteoroids are called Earth-
grazing fireballs. Meteoroids that end up
falling into Earth's atmosphere, causing them
to heat up and glow, are called meteors.
The word meteor came from the Greek word

meteoron, which means “phenomenon in the
sky.” It is used to describe the streak of light
produced by the meteor as it falls into the
Earth’s atmosphere.
When several meteors enter Earth’s
atmosphere all at once, it is called a
meteor shower
Any leftover part of the meteor that does

strike the surface of Earth is called a
meteorite. It can make a hole or a crater
in the ground it lands on. The larger the
meteorite, the bigger the crater.
There are about 3500 meteorites that strike Earth each year, but only a small number are
recovered after a fall.
A fall is a meteorite that was observed from the sky and then collected, while a find is a
meteorite that was not observed during its descent but was later collected and identified
as a meteorite.
The main differences between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites is that meteoroids are
found in outer space, meteors are falling fragments of meteoroids that enter Earth’s
atmosphere, and meteorites are meteors that have fallen and struck Earth’s surface.
copy the chapter summary on your written task 2 google slide and
make an essay about the things that you learned about comets ,
asteroids, and meteors plus a reaction essay about the meteorite
that landed in Russia in 2013
WRITTEN TASK 2

G8 3rd Quarter

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Formation of the Planets

➤ Identify the basic components of an asteroid

Asteroids are solid, rocky-metallic, and

A dark C or carbonaceous asteroids are composed of hydrogen

Bright S or silicaceous asteroids are composed of silicates of

Lastly, are found in the middle belt and are composed of

The word comet came from the Greek

A comet has a nucleus, which is its main

The tail is often visible only in the night sky.

Other comets come from a region at the

One of the well-known comets is Halley’s

Very few meteoroids travel the path towards

The word meteor came from the Greek word

Any leftover part of the meteor that does

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