Download Comets - Astronomy @ Walton High School

West
McNaught
Lovejoy
Bennet
Hyakutake
Discuss with the
person next to you.
What do you think this
lesson will be about?
Hale-Bopp
Halley’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZG2nyUXiY
Comet
•A comet is a relatively small solar system body that orbits the Sun. When close
enough to the Sun they display a visible coma (a fuzzy outline or atmosphere due
to solar radiation) and sometimes a tail.
Asteroid
•Asteroids are small solar system bodies that orbit the Sun. Made of rock and
metal, they can also contain organic compounds. Asteroids are similar to comets
but do not have a visible coma (fuzzy outline and tail) like comets do.
Meteoroid
•A meteoroid is a small rock or particle of debris in our solar system. They range in
size from dust to around 10 metres in diameter (larger objects are usually referred
to as asteroids).
Meteor
A meteoroid that burns up as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere is known as
a meteor. If you’ve ever looked up at the sky at night and seen a streak of light or
‘shooting star’ what you are actually seeing is a meteor.
Meteorite
•A meteoroid that survives falling through the Earth’s atmosphere and colliding with
the Earth’s surface is known as a meteorite.
Comets
Learning Outcomes
•
To distinguish between the orbits of planets and those
of comets.
•
To describe the likely origins of
short-period and long-period comets.
•
To describe the structure of a typical comet and
account for its tails.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsTE6pV
4wpU
Your task is to create a model of a comet using the materials
provided. It should clearly show the main features of the
comet.
Learning Outcomes
•
To distinguish between the orbits of planets and those
of comets.
•
To describe the likely origins of
short-period and long-period comets.
•
To describe the structure of a typical comet and
account for its tails.
Complete the sheet on comets.
You may use the internet to help you.
The orbit of comets:
Comet
Comets orbit in an (eccentric) ellipse. The sun
is at one focus (not in the middle).
A comet has two tails. A dust tail and a gas (or ion) tail.
Learning Outcomes
•
To distinguish between the orbits of planets and those
of comets.
•
To describe the likely origins of
short-period and long-period comets.
•
To describe the structure of a typical comet and
account for its tails.
Write a short story to summarise what
you have done this lesson. What have
you learnt, how did you learn about it,
what did you do?
Long period comets are thought
to originate in the...
Red: Kuiper Belt
Orange: Asteroid Belt
Green: Oort Cloud
Green: Oort Cloud
Comets orbit in:
Red: an eccentric ellipse.
Orange: a hyperbola.
Green: a circle
Red: an eccentric ellipse.
The gas (ion) tail of a comet points...
Red: towards the sun
Orange: in the opposite direction to the
direction the comet is moving in.
Green: away from the sun.
Green: away from the sun.
Short period comets are thought
to originate in the...
Red: Kuiper Belt
Orange: Asteroid Belt
Green: Oort Cloud
Red: Kuiper Belt
The nucleus of a comet is surrounded
by its...
Red: tail
Orange: coma
Green: arm
Orange: coma
A comet tail can be seen...
Red: only when it is far away from the
sun
Orange: only when it is close to the
sun
Green: throughout its entire orbit
Orange: only when it is close to the sun