Thursday 2nd Sep Flashcards
What are asteroids?
rocky remnants left over from the early formation on our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago
How many asteroids are in our solar system?
There are 1,113,527 known asteroids in our solar system
Where do most asteroids orbit?
Most orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter within the main asteroid belt
What is the size range between asteroids?
Asteroids range in size from Vesta (530 kilometers) in diameter – to bodies that are less than 10 meters across
What are Trojans?
a large group of asteroids that share the planet Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun.
What are meteors?
“Space rocks” are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids
Meteors “shooting stars”, enter the earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burn up
True
What is a meteorite?
When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite
What is a comet made of?
Comets are made of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the sun
What happens when a comet’s orbit brings it close to the sun
it heats up and sends dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets
The dust and gases form a tail that stretches away from the sun for millions of miles
True
How many many comets are orbiting our sun in the Kuiper belt?
Millions and even more for distant Oort Cloud
How many known comets are there?
3,743
