This document provides information about asteroids, comets, and meteors. It defines asteroids as rocky objects found between Mars and Jupiter, comets as icy objects with elliptical orbits that form tails as they near the sun, and meteors as solid particles that burn up in Earth's atmosphere. It distinguishes meteoroids as outside the atmosphere, meteorites as inside it after burning up, and meteors as the particles in between.

1. Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors
Oh my!
Are you ready? Are you ready to
learn all about the craziness
that are these orbiting
objects?!
Great! Let’s go!

2. Cosmic Vagabonds
Asteroids:
 A rocky object revolving
around the sun, smaller
than a planet, that are Comets:
found between the orbits
of Mars and Jupiter.  A small clump of ice and
dust with an elliptical orbit
Meteor: around the Sun.
 Are solid, interplanetary  As it nears the sun on it’s
particles passing through orbit, the ice sublimes and
Earth’s atmosphere. forms the coma and tail.
(please draw a picture)

3. Meteors? Meteorites? Meteoroids? What’s
the difference?!?!
 The Quick Trick:
 - “oids” are outside the
atmosphere, - “ites” are inside it,
and – “ors” are in between.
 Meteoroids outside atmosphere
 Meteorites inside atmosphere
 Meteors in-between
Meteoroids Meteors Meteorites

4. The Life of a Meteor…
Please draw something
similar to the image on
the right in your notes
sheet. At each
stage, write a short
description of what is
happening that is
making it “change”.
(Look at the white board for my
example…)

5. And now, some visual stimulation!
Cosmic Vagabonds