Key insights

• ⭐ Asteroids are the largest rocks found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and contain metal
• 🌠 Comets are made of ice, dirt, gases, rock, and metal, and create a glowing cloud and long tail when approaching the Sun
• 💫 Meteors are smaller rocks that enter the Earth's atmosphere, generating meteor showers when they burn up
• 🌌 Ceres and Vesta are important dwarf planets and objects in the asteroid belt, with Ceres being the largest asteroid and a dwarf planet
• ☄️ Trojan asteroids move with Jupiter and Apollo asteroids are near Earth's orbit, while bolides are bright asteroids occasionally hitting Earth
• 🌌 Comets can be short period (less than 200 years orbit) or long period, originating from the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud
• 🔭 Short-period comets include Halley’s and Encke’s Comet, while long-period comets originate from the Oort Cloud
• 🌍 Meteorites are rare rocks that reach Earth's surface and can be found in deserts, cold regions, and the ocean

Q&A

• What happens to meteors and meteorites?

  Meteors create meteor showers when they burn up. Meteorites are meteors that reach Earth's surface. They are rare and can be found in deserts, cold regions, and the ocean. Over 10,000 meteorites have been collected by scientists.

• What is the difference between short-period and long-period comets?

  Short-period comets orbit the sun in less than 200 years, with examples including Halley’s Comet and Encke’s Comet. Long-period comets have orbits lasting more than 200 years and originate from the Oort Cloud. Meteors begin as meteoroids, small pieces of rock or metal that break off from comets, asteroids, or debris.

• What are comets and where do they come from?

  Comets are small and made up of ice, water, gases, rock, and metal. When comets approach the Sun, the ice melts and turns into a gas, creating a glowing cloud and a long tail. Comets come from the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud and can be short period or long period.

• How can asteroids and comets be observed from Earth?

  Asteroids can be seen from Earth without a telescope and often have craters. Trojan asteroids move with Jupiter, and Apollo asteroids are near Earth's orbit. Bolides are bright asteroids that sometimes fall to Earth, causing powerful blasts. Comets are bright space rocks visible from Earth.

• What are some important facts about asteroids in the solar system?

  Asteroids in the solar system contain platinum and nickel. Ceres is the largest asteroid and a dwarf planet, and Pluto is also classified as a dwarf planet. Ceres and Vesta are in the asteroid belt, and the Dawn spacecraft orbited them. Only about 3,000 asteroids in the solar system have been named.

• What are asteroids, comets, and meteors?

  Asteroids, comets, and meteors are three types of rocks found in space, believed to be leftover material from the creation of the sun and planets. Asteroids are the largest, found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and contain metal, while comets are made of ice and dirt. Meteors are smaller rocks that enter the Earth's atmosphere.

• 00:04 Asteroids, comets, and meteors are three types of rocks found in space, believed to be leftover material from the creation of the sun and planets. Asteroids are the largest, found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and contain metal, while comets are made of ice and dirt. Meteors are smaller rocks that enter the Earth's atmosphere.
• 01:20 Asteroids in the solar system, Ceres and Vesta are important dwarf planets and objects in the asteroid belt, 3,000 named asteroids out of millions
• 02:36 Asteroids and comets are space rocks that can be observed from Earth, and come in different types such as Trojans and Apollos. Bolides are bright asteroids that occasionally hit the Earth.
• 03:55 Comets are small and made up of ice, water, gases, rock, and metal. When they approach the Sun, the ice melts and turns into a gas, creating a glowing cloud and a long tail. Comets come from the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud and can be short period or long period.
• 05:04 Short-period comets take less than 200 years to orbit the sun, with examples including Halley’s Comet and Encke’s Comet. Long-period comets have orbits lasting more than 200 years and originate from the Oort Cloud. Meteors are rocks that can look like shooting stars and originate as meteoroids from comets, asteroids, or debris.
• 06:30 Meteors heat up and burn, creating meteor showers. Meteorites are meteors that reach Earth's surface. They are rare and can be found in deserts, cold regions, and the ocean. Scientists have collected over 10,000 meteorites for study.