Hoba meteorite in Namibia, the largest known meteorite on
earth. It weighs about 60 tonnes!
Test yourself
1 a) What are asteroids? b) Where are asteroids found in the solar system
2 Give three ways in which asteroids differ from planets.
3 How big are asteroids?
4 Name two minerals that asteroids contain
5 a) What are meteoroids? b) How are they formed?
6 Suggest why meteoroids are such different sizes.
7 Explain how a meteoroid becomes a meteor,
8 Explain the difference between a meteor and a meteorite?
mets
ause meteors leave streaks in the sky they are sometimes confused w
vever comets and meteors are very different like asteroids comotr arhit
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
PAGE
IntroductionAsteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Most of this ancient space rubble can be found orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter within the main asteroid belt. 2)Instinctively, a planet is a large body, orbiting around the sun (or more generally around a star), in the plane of the ecliptic. Large objects are planets, small bodies are asteroids. Planets are confined to this plane, while asteroids can have quite high inclinations compared to this plane. 3) Most of this ancient space rubble can be found orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter within the main asteroid belt. Asteroids range in size from Vesta — the largest at about 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter — to bodies that are less than 33 feet (10 meters) across. 4) seems amazing that the abundant minerals of meteorites are composed of only eight or so of these elements: oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na) and potas- sium (K). 5) Many meteoroids are formed from the collision of asteroids, which orbit the sun between the paths of Mars and Jupiter in a region called the asteroid belt. As asteroids smash into each other, they produce crumbly debris—meteoroids. 6)Most meteoroids that cause meteors are about the size of a grain of sand, i.e. they are usually millimeter-sized or smaller. Meteoroid sizes can be calculated from their mass and density which, in turn, can be estimated from the observed meteor trajectory in the upper atmosphere.
7) Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and vaporizes, it becomes a meteor, which is often called a shooting star. Meteorite: If a small asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fiery passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on Earth's surface, it is then called a meteorite. 8) When meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors. When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it's called a meteorite. .