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Name: _____________________________ Date: ___________________ Period: ____ Comparing Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids (meteoroids) Add the numbers for the characteristics listed below to the appropriate location on the Venn diagram. Characterisitics 1. Progress across the sky very slowly 2. Remnants of the formation of the solar system 3. Reflect sunlight 4. Rocky composition 5. Orbit the Sun in highly elliptical orbits 6. Measure a few kilometers in diameter 7. Most found in the asteroid belt 8. Most are less than a kilometer in diameter 9. Most have slightly elliptical orbits 10. Most are less than 100 m in diameter 11. Also known as shooting stars 12. Most burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere 13. Streak across the sky very fast 14. Most are fragments of large asteroids 15. Icy objects 16. Caused by the Earth passing through the debris path of a comet 17. Tail always points away from the Sun Name__________________ Date: __________________ Period: ___ Comets, Asteroids, Meteors Worksheet Origin Size Comets Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud c. Composition d. Orbit f. Asteroids a. Meteoroids b. Smaller than a planet but Smaller than comets or larger than meteoroids asteroids Rock e. g. Orbit the sun like a comet if it came from a comet, orbit like an asteroid if it came from an asteroid 1. What is the composition of each part of a comet? 2. How does a comet’s appearance change as it approaches the sun? Why does this occur? 3. Draw the orbit of a comet (don’t forget to include the tail). Sun 4. What causes a meteoroid to become a meteorite? 5. How can you tell a meteor from a comet? 6. Why do meteoroids usually disintegrate rather than fall to Earth? 7. Why is a “shooting star” an inaccurate name for a meteor?