I can analyze the differences between comets, asteroids, meteors and moons. I will research orbits and discuss

differences of what we see from the Earth’s surface (phases). I will analyze the effect the moon’s orbit has

on our planet. I will predict what would happen if Earth had a 2nd moon or the distance to the moon was

increased or decreased.

Proficiency 2

By Katelyn

I can analyze the differences between comets, asteroids, meteors and moons.

Comets

Comet

Comets• Composed of ice and dust• Have tails when the approach the sun• Dust tail

– Is the easiest to see– Dust is pushed away from the comet by solar radiation and can be

hundreds of miles long

• Ion tail – Is a bluish color– Is formed when gas is stripped from it’s electrons and blown back

by solar wind

Ion tail

Parts of a comet

Where do comets come from?• Oort Cloud

– Circular halo of comets that surround the universe– Comets can enter the universe from all directions

• Kuiper Belt– It’s a ring of icy objects that orbit Pluto– Thought to be one of the oldest things in the solar system– It is hard to study because of the size and where it is located

although it is thought that there is larger objects in the Kuiper Belt

Comet with no ice

As a comet passes by the sun it begins to loose it’s ice and begins to look like an asteroid.

Asteroid

Asteriods

Asteroids Small rocky objects in the solar system You cannot see them with your eyes

You can use binoculars or a telescope to see them

Asteroids are odd shapes Because they experience many collisions and they don’t have

enough gravity to pull themselves back to their spherical shape

Where do asteroids come from? They come from the asteroid belt The asteroid belt is in-between Jupiter and Mars Asteroids in the Asteroid Belt orbit the sun

Types of Asteriods

Ceres Biggest asteroid its 580 miles across

Smallest Asteriod Smallest asteroid 10 meters across Probably smaller asteroids but they haven’t been detected

Kleopatra Metallic asteroid

Malthide Light asteroid made up of small particles held loosely

together Also known as rubble piles

Eros Made mostly of rock

Trojans Asteroids Share the same orbital path as Jupiter But they stay at least 60 degrees in front or behind Jupiter

Asteroid with moon Asteroids can have small moons Or travel with each other in equal sizes

Asteroid with moon Asteroids orbiting each other

Metors

Meteors Are short white objects in the night sky We normally refer to them as shooting stars

How are they caused? Inter planetary dust (small pebble sized) that burns up when

it slams into the atmosphere Slams into the atmosphere at high speeds

Meteors Once in a while a small rock might make it though the

atomsphere Thus creating a colorful streak in the sky called a fireball A fireball can be mistaken as a comet Some fireballs don’t vaporize all the way so the impact the

Earth and are called meteorites

fireball

Meteor showers Happens when the earth passes through a spot where a comet

has been and left behind a lot of dust Earth goes through the dust and particles form meteors as

they enter the earths atmosphere

meteorMeteor shower

Fireball

Moons

Moons Are natural satellites Orbits another body Some planets have moons while others don’t Asteroids can have moons

Planets and Moons• Mercury- 0 • Venus- 0• Earth- 1• Mars- 2• Jupiter- 50• Saturn- 62 (53 named)• Uranus- 27• Neptune- 13 Saturn’s moons

Moons in the solar system• Luna and Charon

– Thought to be formed by a collision of 2 large pro-planetary objects– Asteroid moons are thought to be made the same way

• Triton – Is in an circular orbit– Is thought to be captured by a dwarf planet

• Proteurs – Is the largest irregularly shaped moon

• Luna is Earths moon– One of the largest natural satellites

Moon A moon has phases A moon orbits close to it’s primary

And thought to be form by the same collapsing region as it’s primary

Irregular satellites are thought to be captured by asteroids Impacted by collisions

I will research orbits and discuss differences of what we see from the

Earth’s surface (phases)

Types of Orbits

Irregular or Retrograde Don’t have a specific order

Regular or Prograde The orbit is the same direction of the planet

Small moons mainly have irregular orbits Large moons mainly have regular orbits

Tidal Locked Outer planets are too far away to become locked Natural satellites are tidal locked

Means that the same face of the moon is always facing it’s primary

With the exception of Hyperion (Saturn’s moon)

Hyperion

Earth’s Moon Completes an orbit every 27.3 days Takes us longer to see the moons orbit due to our orbit so it

appears to take 29.5 days Earth’s moon has a low albedo which gives it the appearance

of coal Second brightest thing in the sky At the moon’s quarter phases it’s only 1/10 as bright as the

full moon

Lunar Phases Made by changing angles or position as the moon orbits Earth 8 phases

New moon One of the main phases Happens when…

The sun and the moon are approximately aligned The back part of the moon is illuminated so we can’t see it

Wanning Crescent Happens when…

The moon is less than half illuminating and is decreasing

Last Quarter One of the main phases Often referred to as the half moon Happens when…

The moon is at a 90 degree angle and half of it is illuminated and the other half isn’t

Wanning Gibbous Happens when…

The moon is more than half illuminated and is decreasing

Full Moon One of the main phases Happens when…

The sun and the moon are approximately aligned The front part of the moon is illuminated so we can see it

Waxing Gibbous Happens when…

The moon is more than half illuminated and is increase

First Quarter One of the main phases Happens when…

The moon is at a 90 degree angle and half of it is illuminated and the other half isn’t

Waxing Crescent Happens when…

The moon is less than half illuminated and it is increasing

Lunar Cycle Full cycle takes about a month Solar eclipse happens when moon blocks the sun Lunar eclipse happens when Earth’s shadow covers the moon

Solar eclipse Lunar eclispe

I will analyze the effect the moon’s orbit has on our planet.

Tidal Forces Force of gravity that gets weaker and weaker as you pull

away The gravitational pull is greater on one side of the Earth thus

creating a tidal force

Tidal Forces Planets are not perfectly round so a deformation happens Happens to the oceans and creates a bulges on both sides of

the planet Tides are the bulges Tides is when the oceans water goes up and down twice a

day

I will predict what would happen if Earth had a 2nd moon or the distance to the

moon was increased or decreased.

Second Moon The tides would be greatly effected Height of the tides would either be greater or smaller There would be more than 2 high tides a day The cycle of tides would be less than it is now There would be more solar eclipses

Distance Increase of distance the slower Earth would spin Decrease of distance the faster Earth would spin Why?

Between the moon and the nearest bulge on the Earth is a type of movement of force that drain kinetic energy and angular movement

Bibliography "ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS." ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://naasbeginners.co.uk>.

"Astronomy Picture of the Day." Astronomy Picture of the Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://apod.nasa.gov>.

"BBC - Homepage." BBC - Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://bbc.co.uk>.

Conger, Cristen, and Molly Edmonds. "HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!." HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://howstuffworks.com>.

"Curious About Astronomy: What would happen if Earth had more than one moon?." Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=247>.

"Curious About Astronomy? Comets, Meteors and Asteroids." Curious About Astronomy? Ask an Astronomer. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/comets.php>.

"Moon Phases / Lunar Phases Explained." Moon Information Resource And Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml>.

"NASA - Home." NASA - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/>.

"NASA International Space Station Shuttle Missions Solar System Google Earth Science and Technology Universe Astronomy Moon and Mars Milky Way Planet Earth Satellite Space Telescope." NASA International Space Station Shuttle Missions Solar System Google Earth Science and Technology Universe Astronomy Moon and Mars Milky Way Planet Earth Satellite Space Telescope. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://spacestationinfo.com>.

"NASA Science." NASA Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://science.nasa.gov>.

"Natural satellite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite>.

"News Line 365 : Bollywood news, Tech News, Sports News from India." News Line 365 : Bollywood news, Tech News, Sports News from India. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://newsline365.com>.

"Science Magazine Daily News." Science Magazine Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://sciencemagnews.com>.

"StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers." StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov>.

"Sustainable News & Tips, Eco-Friendly Info at Sustainability Ninja." Sustainable News & Tips, Eco-Friendly Info at Sustainability Ninja. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://sustainabilityninja.com>.

"The Daily Inquirer." The Daily Inquirer. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://thedailyinquirer.net>.

"Thunderbolts home." Thunderbolts home. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://thunderbolts.info>.

"Tidal Forces." Windows to the Universe. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://www.windows2universe.org/glossary/tidal_forces.html>.

"nationalgeographic.com." nationalgeographic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. <http://blogs.nationalgeographic.