March 26, 2013

The solar system contains not only planets and moons but other small bodies, including comets, asteroids, and meteoroids. Scientists study these objects to learn about the composition of the solar system. Comets A small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together is called a comet. Some scientists refer to comets as dirty snowballs because of their composition. Comets formed in the cold, outer solar system. Nothing much has happened to comets since the birth of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. Comets are probably left over from the time when the planets formed. As a result, each comet is a sample of the early solar system. Scientists want to learn more about comets to piece together the history of our solar system. Comet Tails When a comet passes close enough to the sun, solar radiation heats the ice so that the comet gives off gas and dust in the form of a long tail. Sometimes, a comet has two tailsan ion tail and a dust tail. The ion tail is made of electrically charged particles called ions. The solid center of a comet is called its nucleus. Comet nuclei can range in size from less than half a kilometer to more than 100 km in diameter.

The Daily Revolution

Special Edition
can be pulled toward the sun. Another recently discovered region where comets exist is the Kuiper (KIE puhr) belt, which is the region outside the orbit of Neptune.

Comet Orbits The orbits of all bodies that move around the sun are ellipses. Ellipses are circles that are somewhat stretched out of shape. The orbits of most planets are close to perfect circles, but the orbits of comets are very elongated. A comets ion tail always points away from the sun. The reason is that the ion tail is blown away from the sun by solar wind, which is also made of ions. The dust tail tends to follow the comets orbit around the sun. Dust tails do not always point away from the sun. When a comet is close to the sun, its tail can extend millions of kilometers through space! Comet Origins Where do comets come from? Many scientists think that comets come from the Oort (AWRT) cloud, a spherical region that surrounds the solar system. When the gravity of a passing planet or star disturbs part of this cloud, comets

Asteroids Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun are called asteroids. They range in size from a few meters to more than 900 km in diameter. Asteroids have irregular shapes, although some of the larger ones are spherical. Most asteroids orbit the sun in the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt is a wide region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Like comets, asteroids are thought to be material left over from the formation of the solar system. Types of Asteroids The composition of asteroids varies depending on where they are located within the asteroid belt. In the outermost region of the asteroid belt, asteroids have dark reddish brown to black

March 26, 2013

surfaces. This coloring may indicate that the asteroids are rich in organic material. Asteroids that have dark gray surfaces are rich in carbon. In the innermost part of the asteroid belt are light gray asteroids that have either a stony or metallic composition. Meteoroids Meteoroids are similar to but much smaller than asteroids. A meteoroid is a small, rocky body that revolves around the sun. Most meteoroids are probably pieces of asteroids. A meteoroid that enters Earths atmosphere and strikes the ground is called a meteorite. As a meteoroid falls into Earths atmosphere, the meteoroid moves so fast that its surface melts. As the meteoroid burns up, it gives off an enormous amount of light and thermal energy. From the ground, you see a spectacular streak of light, or a shooting star. A meteor is the bright streak of light caused by a meteoroid or comet dust burning up in the atmosphere.

The Daily Revolution

Special Edition
meteorites are some of the building blocks of planets.

Meteor Showers Many of the meteors that we see come from very small (dust-sized to pebble-sized) rocks. Even so, meteors can be seen on almost any night if you are far enough away from a city to avoid the glare of its lights. At certain times of the year, you can see large numbers of meteors. These events are called meteor showers. Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through the dusty debris that comets leave behind. Types of Meteorites Like their asteroid relatives, meteorites have different compositions. There are three major types of meteoritesstony, metallic, and stonyiron meteorites. Many of the stony meteorites probably come from carbon-rich asteroids. Stony meteorites may contain organic materials and water. Scientists use meteorites to study the early solar system. Like comets and asteroids,