Comets consist of dust, rock, and ice and surround the solar system in the Oort Cloud. Meteoroids are rocks in space that burn up as meteors when entering the Earth's atmosphere, often forming meteor showers when the Earth crosses their orbital paths. Asteroids are rocky bodies similar to planetary materials that occur predominantly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

1. 6 th Grade Science Chapter 10 The Solar System Notes Section 10.4

2. What is a comet? A comet consist of dust, rock, and ice. Billions of comets surround the solar system in the Oort Cloud. What are meteoroids, and meteors? When meteoroids burn up in the atmosphere they are called meteors. Meteor showers occur when the Earth crosses the meteor’s orbital path. Key Questions 1

3. Hale-Bopp Comet April 1997

4. Halley’s Comet 1986

6. Meteor Shower

7. What is an asteroid? An asteroid is a piece of rock similar to the material that formed into the planets. Where do many asteroids occur? Many asteroids occur between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Key Questions 2

9. Artist Conception of Asteroid Collision with Earth