Meteors, comets, asteroids (belt)
1. Meteors = what we call falling stars, they start out as a large rock in space called a meteoroid, then as they fall = meteor. When the meteor hits we call it a meteorite!
2. Comets =usually very, very large and distant from the Sun and all of our planets (deep out in space)
***most famous is Halley s Comet ========comes near Earth every 76 years to view. 1910, 1986, 2062, you do the "math"
have a very long and extended tail that makes up over 75 % of the comet
At the front of the comet is its "head". Look for pictures online of comets.
Most comets are out past Neptune and will orbit the Sun and get as close as Venus or Earth's orbits.
*Some comets are even farther away and past Pluto. They are orbiting the Sun in a very large elliptical (oval path).
1. Meteors = what we call falling stars, they start out as a large rock in space called a meteoroid, then as they fall = meteor. When the meteor hits we call it a meteorite!
2. Comets =usually very, very large and distant from the Sun and all of our planets (deep out in space)
***most famous is Halley s Comet ========comes near Earth every 76 years to view. 1910, 1986, 2062, you do the "math"
have a very long and extended tail that makes up over 75 % of the comet
At the front of the comet is its "head". Look for pictures online of comets.
Most comets are out past Neptune and will orbit the Sun and get as close as Venus or Earth's orbits.
*Some comets are even farther away and past Pluto. They are orbiting the Sun in a very large elliptical (oval path).
***above is from a movie -- (is not real)
Below is Halley's Comet--next time
its near Earth to see = 2062.
Above is a "still picture" of meteor shower.
***Review of meteors:
meteoroids =large chunk/chunks of rock or dust coming from broken particles of a comet or asteroid.
The meteor is "the falling star" and is falling towards Earth as it glows. The glow is due to entering our hot atmosphere and is slowing burning up.
Majority of meteors will "burn-out" and not reach or surface.
Meteorites = those meteors that hit/ strike the Earth.
*** large ones can leave craters on the Earth's surface or damage buildings/ sites
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ASTEROIDS AND ASTEROIDS BELT:
1. 200 years ago astronomers found new objects in space between Jupiter and Mars.
Then over 80 years later the total grew to over 300 of them. ( now called our asteroid belt)
2. Today the total is estimated to be over 100,000 asteroids in our Solar System. Most of them are 1/2 mile or so in size, but a few are as big as maybe the state of Iowa!
3. Asteroids are thought to be pieces of rock that never came to become a planet or pieces of a planet that are now orbiting the Sun.
*** The big theory is that a comet or asteroid might have hit Earth in the past or will fall onto Earth someday again.
**the end of the dinosaurs might have come due to a large comet that hit Earth and caused a change in climate for many years.
***Review of meteors:
meteoroids =large chunk/chunks of rock or dust coming from broken particles of a comet or asteroid.
The meteor is "the falling star" and is falling towards Earth as it glows. The glow is due to entering our hot atmosphere and is slowing burning up.
Majority of meteors will "burn-out" and not reach or surface.
Meteorites = those meteors that hit/ strike the Earth.
*** large ones can leave craters on the Earth's surface or damage buildings/ sites
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ASTEROIDS AND ASTEROIDS BELT:
1. 200 years ago astronomers found new objects in space between Jupiter and Mars.
Then over 80 years later the total grew to over 300 of them. ( now called our asteroid belt)
2. Today the total is estimated to be over 100,000 asteroids in our Solar System. Most of them are 1/2 mile or so in size, but a few are as big as maybe the state of Iowa!
3. Asteroids are thought to be pieces of rock that never came to become a planet or pieces of a planet that are now orbiting the Sun.
*** The big theory is that a comet or asteroid might have hit Earth in the past or will fall onto Earth someday again.
**the end of the dinosaurs might have come due to a large comet that hit Earth and caused a change in climate for many years.
**** between Mars and Jupiter are the asteroids/belt
Review of ----OUR LARGEST PLANET
read pages about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
1. Jupiter is 2 and 1/2 times larger than all other planets combined!
2. Has a very thick atmosphere of hydrogen/ helium gases, but is most famous for its large hurricane-like storm called the Great Red Spot.
3. Great Red Spot is larger than Earth with hundreds of miles/ hour wind storms that keeps alive and will continue it appears for a long, long time!
4. Can astronauts land on Jupiter and survive? NO Way !!!!! The weight of the air pressure and the deadly gases would kill a crew before landing.
5. Jupiter's Moons = estimated to have over 50 of them with four very, very large moons called: Europa, Ganymede, Io, and Callisto. Europa actually has large lakes or small oceans of nitrogen liquid on its surface. Maybe life was on this moon?
read pages about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
1. Jupiter is 2 and 1/2 times larger than all other planets combined!
2. Has a very thick atmosphere of hydrogen/ helium gases, but is most famous for its large hurricane-like storm called the Great Red Spot.
3. Great Red Spot is larger than Earth with hundreds of miles/ hour wind storms that keeps alive and will continue it appears for a long, long time!
4. Can astronauts land on Jupiter and survive? NO Way !!!!! The weight of the air pressure and the deadly gases would kill a crew before landing.
5. Jupiter's Moons = estimated to have over 50 of them with four very, very large moons called: Europa, Ganymede, Io, and Callisto. Europa actually has large lakes or small oceans of nitrogen liquid on its surface. Maybe life was on this moon?
Saturn and its many "moons":
***Mr. Myrtue's favorite planet : )
1. All the 4 giant gas planets have series of rocks or rings that orbit the planet. Saturn is our most famous planet for having rings.
2. The largest moon of Saturn is called Titan (larger than Pluto or Mercury)
3. Saturn's atmosphere is a thick layer of hydrogen/ helium, but also has a unique set of clouds that cause storms, lightning and maybe a form of rain/ mist.
4. The space probe Voyager I and II took thousands of pictures of Saturn and its rings, and other information about its many "moons." The total number is 62.
****below is a computer image of the large moon called Titan, the largest moon in our Solar System!
***Mr. Myrtue's favorite planet : )
1. All the 4 giant gas planets have series of rocks or rings that orbit the planet. Saturn is our most famous planet for having rings.
2. The largest moon of Saturn is called Titan (larger than Pluto or Mercury)
3. Saturn's atmosphere is a thick layer of hydrogen/ helium, but also has a unique set of clouds that cause storms, lightning and maybe a form of rain/ mist.
4. The space probe Voyager I and II took thousands of pictures of Saturn and its rings, and other information about its many "moons." The total number is 62.
****below is a computer image of the large moon called Titan, the largest moon in our Solar System!
MANY MOONS AS SEEN IN SPACE
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
1. These last three are so very, very far away from Earth.
***at one time it was thought that Neptune might be a comet, and now we are not sure if Pluto is a planet, a micro- "dwarf planet."
2. Both Neptune and Uranus are knows as the blue/green twin planets; like Jupiter and Saturn they have rings, a very thick layer of gases, many moons, and both very big!
3. Thanks to the Voyager missions we now have found that Neptune had its own GREAT DARK SPOT, with storms and many clouds in its atmosphere.
***we also know that Neptune has 13 moons.
4. Uranus is like all these gases/ big planets--has many moons. The total is at least 27 of them!
5. Neptune is so far away from the Sun, that its space between Uranus and Neptune is farther than the total space between the Sun and Saturn !!!!!!!!!!! ***wow that is far !
***think of a typical school classroom and its size: on one side of a wall would be the Sun and then all the inner planets within just a few feet of the Sun.
**now lets go to where is Jupiter?
Put Jupiter way across to the other side of the room wall, then go outside into the hallway and half way down you can put the planet Saturn.
--------------now its time to place the location of Uranus. Go all the way down the next hallway and around to the 3rd hallway and put Uranus .
You then would have to go completely around the entire hallway another "lap" and locate Neptune!
do the same thing one more time to locate and place Pluto !!!
6. Pluto: unlike all those large gases planets, Pluto is very small and has a solid surface with little atmosphere. (its more like Mercury).
a. Pluto has its own moon, called Charon.
Some astronomers wonder if Charon is a twin to Pluto/ or a double planet.
The size of Pluto is less than our Moon, but Pluto is twice the size as Charon.
b. The tenth planet ? -------there is a new object even farther out in our Solar System that might be a planet, but at yet scientist are not sure--???
1. These last three are so very, very far away from Earth.
***at one time it was thought that Neptune might be a comet, and now we are not sure if Pluto is a planet, a micro- "dwarf planet."
2. Both Neptune and Uranus are knows as the blue/green twin planets; like Jupiter and Saturn they have rings, a very thick layer of gases, many moons, and both very big!
3. Thanks to the Voyager missions we now have found that Neptune had its own GREAT DARK SPOT, with storms and many clouds in its atmosphere.
***we also know that Neptune has 13 moons.
4. Uranus is like all these gases/ big planets--has many moons. The total is at least 27 of them!
5. Neptune is so far away from the Sun, that its space between Uranus and Neptune is farther than the total space between the Sun and Saturn !!!!!!!!!!! ***wow that is far !
***think of a typical school classroom and its size: on one side of a wall would be the Sun and then all the inner planets within just a few feet of the Sun.
**now lets go to where is Jupiter?
Put Jupiter way across to the other side of the room wall, then go outside into the hallway and half way down you can put the planet Saturn.
--------------now its time to place the location of Uranus. Go all the way down the next hallway and around to the 3rd hallway and put Uranus .
You then would have to go completely around the entire hallway another "lap" and locate Neptune!
do the same thing one more time to locate and place Pluto !!!
6. Pluto: unlike all those large gases planets, Pluto is very small and has a solid surface with little atmosphere. (its more like Mercury).
a. Pluto has its own moon, called Charon.
Some astronomers wonder if Charon is a twin to Pluto/ or a double planet.
The size of Pluto is less than our Moon, but Pluto is twice the size as Charon.
b. The tenth planet ? -------there is a new object even farther out in our Solar System that might be a planet, but at yet scientist are not sure--???
