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Ch. 16-5 Small Bodies in the Solar System. Pages 500 - 505. COMETS. *A comet is a small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together. “Dirty Snowballs”. Ion tail - electrically charged particles from solar wind. Nucleus -the solid center.
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Ch. 16-5 Small Bodies in the Solar System Pages 500 - 505
COMETS *A comet is a small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together. “Dirty Snowballs” Ion tail - electrically charged particles from solar wind. Nucleus -the solid center. Dust tail - gas and dust when ice melts from the sun’s heat.
Where Do Comets Come From? *Many scientists think they come from a spherical region called the Oort cloud that surrounds the solar system. The gravity of a passing planet or star disturbs part of this cloud and comets are pulled in toward the sun.
ASTEROIDS *Asteroids are small, rocky bodies in orbit around the sun. They can be a few meters to nearly 1000 km in diameter.
Where do Asteroids Come From? * From the asteroid belt which is a wide region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
METEOROIDS * If a meteoroid enters the earth’s atmosphere and strikes the ground it is called a meteorite. * A meteoroid is a small (much smaller than asteroids), rocky body orbiting the sun..
SHOOTING STARS(are not stars at all!) *The bright streak of light caused by a meteoroid or comet dust burning up in the atmosphere is called a meteor.
Composition of Meteorites Stony meteorites are similar to the composition of rocks you would find on Earth. Metallic meteorites are made of mostly metals. Stony-metallic meteorites, the third type, contain iron and stone.
Why does the moon have so many impact craters? *The Earth has an atmosphere which acts like a shield in which small bodies burn up before they reach the surface. *The moon has no atmosphere to protect it. Also, there is no weathering on the moon to erase the craters.
Impacts on Earth • Most objects that come close to Earth are small and usually burn up in the atmosphere. • About 65 million years ago, a meteor 10 km wide struck Earth and caused 15-20% of all species, including the dinosaurs, to become extinct. Meteor Crater Arizona • Most craters on the Earth are hidden by erosion, plants or the oceans.