Comets Asteroids and Meteors Vocabulary

Which of the following best describes a comet?

• It is made of ice, rock, and dust.

• It is located between Mars and Jupiter

• It has a short elliptical orbit

• Comets are leftover fragments from the time when planets formed in the solar system.

Where is the Asteroid Belt located?

• Between Earth and Mars

• In the Kuiper belt

• Between Mars and Jupiter

• Beyond the Oort cloud

Which of the following best describes an asteroid?

• It is made of ice and dust

• It is also known as a "shooting star"

• It has a nucleus, coma, and tail

• It is a LARGE chunk of rock and metal

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Which of the following is FALSE about meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites?

• A meteor burns in the mesosphere and is called a "shooting star".

• They are made of ice.

• They are made of rock and debris from space.

• They vary in size and can be as small tiny pebbles or very large.

True or False: A comet's tail points AWAY from the Sun?

What is the name of the largest meteorite ever found on Earth?

A _____ bursts through Earth's atmosphere at very fast speeds and appears as a "shooting star".

• Meteoroid

• Meteorite

• Meteor

• Comet

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

What is it called when a space rock survives its fiery passage through the Earth's atmosphere and strikes the Earth's surface?

• Meteoroid

• Meteorite

• Meteor

• Comet

What are the leftover rock fragments called when the planets formed in our solar system?

• Comets

• Asteroids

• Meteors

• Shooting stars

What force keeps planets, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids in orbit around the Sun?

• Electricity

• Solar power

• Inertia

• Gravity

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4