* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Solar System: Small Bodies
Survey
Document related concepts
Scattered disc wikipedia , lookup
Heliosphere wikipedia , lookup
Kuiper belt wikipedia , lookup
Planet Nine wikipedia , lookup
Sample-return mission wikipedia , lookup
Jumping-Jupiter scenario wikipedia , lookup
History of Solar System formation and evolution hypotheses wikipedia , lookup
Planets beyond Neptune wikipedia , lookup
Dwarf planet wikipedia , lookup
Planets in astrology wikipedia , lookup
Definition of planet wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
Name______________________________ Date______________ Balls of Rock & Ice Between the orbits of __________________is a swarm of thousands of space rocks ranging from 900 kilometers (560 miles) across to microscopic grains of dust. This region is known as the ___________Belt and it’s where most of the asteroids in the Inner Solar System reside. This is also where the dwarf planet Ceres resides. There are also countless thousands of _________in our solar system. These balls of ice and rock spend most of their time far from the center of the solar system in one of two reservoirs: the ____________or the ______Cloud. The Kuiper Belt starts around the orbit of Neptune. It’s actually kind of a wedge shape wrapped around itself into a donut with the thin edge facing in towards the Sun. The Oort Cloud is much farther away. It really is a cloud—a globular swarm of deep-frozen shards of matter left over from the formation of the Sun and the planets. Asteroids: Many asteroids, once called minor planets, are chunks of rock with odd shapes. They are too small to have been rounded into spheres by __________. Other asteroids are nickel steel. At least a few other asteroids are cores of dead comets. Main belt asteroids are made of primitive material from the early history of the solar system. Astronomers once thought that the Main Belt was the debris ring left over from a destroyed__________. It’s much more likely that such a planet was, in fact, prevented from ever forming by Jupiter’s strong gravitational pull. In total, the mass of all the asteroids is less than that of Earth's moon. But despite their size, asteroids can be dangerous. Many have hit Earth in the past, and more will crash into our planet in the future. That's one reason scientists study asteroids and are eager to learn more about their numbers, orbits and physical characteristics. If an asteroid is headed our way, we want to know that. Many asteroids lie outside the main belt. For instance, a number of asteroids called Trojans lie along Jupiter's orbital path. Three groups — Atens, Amors, and Apollos — known as near-Earth asteroids orbit in the inner solar system and sometimes cross the path of Mars and Earth. Starry Skies Questions: #1 Where are the asteroids? a) How can you tell the asteroids from the background stars? b) Where in the solar system are these asteroids located? Solar System: Small Bodies Starry Skies Questions: #2. A minor planet! a) Describe the position and shape of Vesta’s orbit: b) How fast is Vesta moving? Compare its speed to the other planets shown. c) How long does it take Vesta to go once around the Sun? (hint: use years & months) #3 How flat is the orbit of the asteroids compared to the planets? Describe! Background: The location, motion, and composition of the asteroids hold clues to the formation and history of the solar system. The asteroids, or minor planets, formed at the same time as the rest of the system. The material that makes up an asteroid is little changed from the early days because it was never incorporated into the body of a full- fledged planet. #1. How or why is material changed that is incorporated into a planet? _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ Purpose: Asteroids are often described as potato-shaped. In this activity you will make observations and measurements of a potato and extend this to the physical nature of asteroids just as astronomers do with the real objects. Materials: potato, balance, string, ruler, water, volumetric can, beaker, graph paper Procedure: #1. Examine the potato and draw a detailed map showing all its markings. The map would include all sides. The drawings will be done on graph paper. #2. Take the following measurements for the potato and record the results in the table: Mass Volume (water displacement) Density (D= M/V) Width Length Circumference (long axis) Circumference (short axis) Name_______________________________ Discussion/ Analysis: #1 What was the range of masses for the potato asteroids in the class? #2 Did all the potatoes have the same or very similar density? How can you account for this result? #3 Why would astronomers make detailed pictures of asteroids? How would that be useful? #4 If you were required to determine surface area of your “asteroid” how could you do that? Describe briefly! #5 The largest known asteroids are spherical! This means they have the lowest surface-area-to- volume ratio. Why would these asteroids have a spherical shape?