Abeka 8th grade Science section review 10.4

What causes a meteor shower?

When the earth passes through a meteoroid stream, meteors fall much faster than normal. This phenomenon is a meteor shower.

What is a comet's nucleus made of?

A comet's nucleus is made of two-thirds ice and one-third dust.

Explain the difference between a meteoroid, a meteor, and a meteorite.

A meteoroid is a small chunk of rock or metal in space. A meteor is a meteoroid that has entered Earth's atmosphere. A meteorite is a meteor that has landed on Earth's surface.

Explain why a comet's tail forms.

As a comet travels closer to the sun, it encounters the solar wind, the stream of harmful, charged particles sent out by the sun. The solar wind causes particles from the coma to begin to drift away from the sun. As the dust particles and gases begin to drift, a highly reflective streamer, called the tail, is emitted from the comet.

Would an observer on the moon ever see a shooting star flash across the sky? Why or why not?

No, because shooting stars occur when meteoroids enter the atmosphere and burn up. The moon does not have an atmosphere; therefore a meteoroid striking the moon will not produce a shooting star.

Between which two planet is the asteroid belt found?

The asteroid belt is found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Which asteroids travel before and behind the planet Jupiter?

Trojan asteroids travel before and behind the planet Jupiter.