Inner and Outer Planets and Comets and Meteors and Asteroids

A chunk of rock that enters Earth's atmosphere and produces a streak of light in the sky.

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Meteorite

• Comet

A chunk of rock that is not burned up by the atmosphere and hits Earth's surface.

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Meteorite

• Comet

A chunk of rock or dust in space that comes from an asteroid or comet.

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Meteorite

• Comet

A rocky object that revolves around the sun, but is too small to be considered a planet.

• Meteor

• Comet

• Asteroid

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

The craters on the moon were caused by the impact of ________________.

• Asteroids

• Comets

• Meteors

• Meteorites

A chunk of ice and dust whose orbit is usually a long, narrow ellipse

• Meteoroid

• Comet

• Asteroid

• Meteor

The nucleus, coma, and tail are the three parts of a(n) __________________________.

• Comet

• Asteroid

• Meteor

Gas and dust form a fuzzy outer layer around a comet's head, called a ______________________.

• Nucleus

• Coat

• Coma

• Tail

Scientists hypothesize that the dinosaurs became extinct as a result of a large _______________ hitting Earth 65 million years ago.

• Comet

• Asteroid

• Meteor

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

As a comet approaches the sun, the gas and dust heat up and ____________________________.

• form a fuzzy coma.

• stream outward forming tails.

• disappear.

• shrink.