Asteroids and Comets Flashcards
How are asteroids and comets different than planets?
They are smaller than planets
How are asteroids different than comets?
Asteroids are chunks of irregular shaped rock that revolve around the sun in a circular path. Comets are made of dust, gas and ice (dirty snowballs) and orbit the sun in an elliptical orbit
What happens when a comet get close to the sun?
The heat vaporizes the ice to form a cloud around it. Light from the sun makes their cloud glow, causing the tail to appear behind their comet.
What is the cloud of vapor called that forms around a comet?
The coma.
What are asteroids made out of?
Rock
What are asteroids made out of?
Ice, gas and dust (dirty snowball)
Describe the orbit of an asteroid
Circular
Describe the orbit of an asteroid
Circular
What is the difference between a dwarf planet and a regular planet?
A dwarf planet is smaller and its orbit is not circular
If an object is made of rock, is much smaller than a planet and travels between the orbits mars and Jupiter, it is a…
Asteroid
If an object in space is made of ice, dust and gas, and has an elliptical orbit that can travel from Pluto to close to the sun, it is called a…
Comet
An object in the night sky and that has a glowing tail would likely be a…
Comet
What is the name of a famous comet?
Halley’s Comet
Do asteroids have tails?
No
What is the largest asteroid in our solar system?
Ceres
