Questions about Small Solar System Bodies

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

Meteoroids: These rocks still are in space. Meteoroids range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. Meteors: 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. Meteorites: When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.

If most meteor falls are stony, why are most found meteors iron?

Stony meteors burn up in the atmosphere. Iron is denser so it’s harder to completely burn up.

Describe the three types of asteroids (S, M, and C) and explain their differences.

The C-type (chondrite) asteroids are most common. They consist of clay and silicate rocks, and are dark in appearance. They are among the most ancient objects in the solar system. The S-types ("stony") are made up of silicate materials and nickel-iron. The M-types are metallic (nickel-iron). The asteroids' composition differences are related to how far from the Sun they formed.

Describe the make-up of a comet nucleus.

Comets have multiple different parts. The nucleus, coma and tail. The nucleus is typically only a few kilometers in diameter. It’s composed of roughly equal parts ice, silicate dust and some organic material. Comets are extremely interesting to scientists because they were formed at the same time as our solar system.

Explain the difference between the type I and type II comet tails, why they only exist when the comets are in the inner solar system, and why they always point away from the sun.

Comets actually have two types of tails. Type 1 is composed of gas particles of the comet, being charged by solar wind. (honestly solar wind would be such a good band name) Type 2 tails are made up of dust particles. The tails only exist in the inner solar system and always point away from the Sun because of the solar wind. It's “blowing” the gas/dust away from it.

If comets are icy leftovers from the formation of the solar system, why haven’t they all vaporized?

Most comets reside in the outer solar system with very long orbits. Only when it gets near the sun does it begin to “vaporize”.

Explain the formation of the asteroid and Kuiper belts and the Oort cloud. Explain their different locations in the solar system and explain their origins.

The asteroid belt and Kuiper belts are remnants of failed planets. The gravitational pull between other planets prevented the asteroids from clumping together and forming a planet. The asteroid belt is made up of mostly well… asteroids. Made up of rock or metal. While the Kuiper belt is made up of mostly frozen elements such as methane, ammonia and water. The asteroid belt resides between Mars and Jupiter while the Kuiper belt resides beyond the orbit of Neptune.

What do the surfaces of asteroids tell you about their formation?

The surface of an asteroid can tell you where in the solar system it formed. If it’s more icy, it probably formed in the outer solar system. While rocky and metallic surfaces were probably formed in the inner solar system.

WHY IS PLUTO NO LONGER A PLANET!?!?!

First of all, chill. To be a planet you need three requirements. Be a sphere, orbit a star, and most importantly for Pluto, dominate your orbit. Because Pluto is in a binary system with Charon it doesn’t dominate its orbit so it’s not considered a planet. This animation shows how Charon affects Pluto’s orbit by pulling it along as it revolves around it.

Explain how major impacts on the earth can affect its climate and ecology? Describe two of the most famous; the one which killed off the dinosaurs and the Tunguska event. How did their actual impacts differ?

Major impacts on Earth, like asteroid strikes, can significantly change the planet's climate and ecology by ejecting massive amounts of dust and debris into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing global warming, while also triggering immediate destruction at the impact site, disrupting ecosystems and potentially causing mass extinctions. This happened with the Chixculub crater in Mexico, when the 6 mile wide asteroid hit the Earth, large tsunamis stretching all the way from southeastern Mexico to all the way to Texas and Florida. Chunks of the asteroid went flying back up, and when they came down they were full of fire and smoke, igniting the wildlife and land. Huge earthquakes and volcanic eruptions created a covering of dust of the ENTIRE EARTH for at least a decade. Safe to say that not many things lived. The Tunguska event in 1908 was a lot tamer in comparison to that extinction event. The Tunguska asteroid exploded over Tunguska, Russia. (believed to be an asteroid but we don’t really know because… soviet russian recordkeeping.) It decimated trees and created a huge shockwave going hundreds of miles. Immediately knocking down any nearby houses or reindeer herders. (I think they sell them to santa? idk) Because of the size difference, the Chixculub asteroid was able to just completely obliterate the planet and life. While the Tunguska asteroid just knocked down a whole load of trees and pushed a bunch of guys over. I think it killed some reindeer too.