10.2 Asteroids Flashcards
What is an asteroid?
Asteroids Overview
* Rock-like structures orbiting the Sun.
* Smaller than planets but large enough to be considered minor planets.
* Composed of rock, metal, dust, fuel, and chemicals.
* Size ranges from less than 10 meters to over 500 km.
* Irregularly shaped, over 100 have moons.
* Parent bodies of Meteoroids.
How do asteroids form?
When the Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago, gravity pulled dust and gas together, leaving behind asteroids.
Where are asteroids?
Over a million asteroids exist in our Solar System, mostly in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, some orbiting larger planets like Jupiter and some in orbits close to Earth.
What is a comet?
A comet is a celestial body composed of ice and dust orbiting the sun. Its icy shield surrounds it, and when the temperature is right, the ice sublimates into gas, creating a coma. The comet consists of the head and tail, with a haloish glow.
What are meteoroids?
A small rock fragment from an asteroid or comet, composed of rock, metal, and dust, resembles small asteroids but may not always be so.
What are meteors?
Meteors are smaller piece of rock that has entered the Earth’s atmosphere. When meteoroids get sucked into the Earth’s gravitational field they start moving towards the Earth’s surface. Friction between the surface of the meteor and the air particles cause the meteors to start burning up in the atmosphere, this is very useful to us.
What are meteorites?
A meteorite is a meteor that reaches the ground and is not completely burnt up in the atmosphere. If the meteor remains unburnt, the remaining parts hit the Earth’s surface, making them the remnants of meteors.
What is the Kuiper belt?
The Kuiper belt is a frigid zone and the birthplace of a comet. It begins after Neptune and stretches extremely far.
