Download Comet/Meteor/Asteroid

Objective
Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
Asteroid, Comet, or Meteor?
Place an “X” in the appropriate boxes to indicate characteristics of asteroids,
comets, and meteors.
Asteroid
Made of ice, dust,
and gas.
Appears as a streak
in the sky.
Made of rock and/or
metal.
Orbits the
Sun.
Often called
“shooting stars.”
Sometimes called a
“dirty snowball.”
Orbits between
Mars and Jupiter.
Most are found in
the Oort Cloud or
Kuiper Belt.
Comet
Meteor
Objective
Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
Comet/Meteor/Asteroid Fact Sheet
Asteroids
 Made of rock and metal.
 Cannot be seen without a telescope.
 In a telescope, looks like a star-like
object.
 Orbits the Sun
 Found between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter.
 There are hundreds of thousands of
asteroids.
 If all put together, they would be
smaller than the Moon.
 Leftovers from the creation of the Solar
System.
Meteors
 Made of rock and metal.
 When in space, it is called a meteoroid.
 When travelling through the
atmosphere, it is called a meteor or
“shooting star.”
 When travelling through the Earth’s
atmosphere it looks like a bright streak
in the sky that lasts for a second or two.
 When it hits the Earth’s surface, it is
called a meteorite.
 Orbits the Sun.
 Found all throughout the Solar System.
Comets
 Made of frozen water and ammonia,
rocks, dust, frozen gasses.
 Is called a dirty snowball or an icy
dirtball.
 You may need a telescope to see a
comet.
 Some comets are so bright they are
easily seen in the night sky without a
telescope.
 Appears to be a large ball with a tail.
 Orbits the Sun.
 Found in the Kuiper Belt and Oort
Cloud.
Objective
Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
Asteroid, Comet, or Meteor? Key
Place an “X” in the appropriate boxes to indicate characteristics of asteroids,
comets, and meteors.
Asteroid
Made of ice, dust,
and gas.
Appears as a streak
in the sky.
Made of rock and/or
metal.
Orbits the
Sun.
Often called
“shooting stars.”
Sometimes called a
“dirty snowball.”
Orbits between
Mars and Jupiter.
Most are found in
the Oort Cloud or
Kuiper Belt.
Comet
Meteor
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