We learned about the differences between these celestial objects. We definitely can't lump them together because each object is unique. In sixth grade we love "unique", right? Let's start with comets. Comets, like asteroids, are small celestial bodies that orbit the Sun. However, unlike asteroids, comets are composed primarily of frozen ammonia, methane or water, and contain only small amounts of rocky material. As a result of this composition comets have been given the nickname of "dirty snowballs." Scientists believe comets originate in the Kuiper Belt where it is cold and icy. Comets begin to "melt" or lose some of their gases when they orbit near the Sun. It makes sense to think that comets will eventually melt away after time. Scientists from Sweden built a probe several years ago and landed it on a comet. These are the images that came back to us. The probe named Rosetta traveled 4 billion miles to land on this comet. The images are startling, they show a rock that is venting gases. Is it possible a comet is made of other materials than ice and dust? Just how big was this comet? The Rosetta probe took 10 years to get to the comet and over 2000 people worked to make this mission a success. A surface picture. That doesn't look like ice to me, maybe sand dunes? From this mission we will learn much more about the origin of our solar system. What do asteroids look like if comets look so much like asteroids??
Now for Meteoroids-Meteors-Meteorites! Meteoroids are pieces of asteroids or comets that are moving through our solar system in the same orbit as their parent (origin). They are an object in motion and will travel until something hits them. If they are in the path of Earth. as long as they are outside our atmosphere, they remain meteoroids. Once they hit our atmosphere, they become meteors. If the piece of rock makes it to Earth's surface, it has become a meteorite. I remember this rock by saying in my head "if I can pick it up and put it right in my pocket, it is a meteorite." Where do you go to collect meteorites? The place to go is Antarctica where there is a LARGE surface of Earth covered in ice and snow. Dark meteorites are easy to spot. The above meteorite was found in Antarctica and is made of chondrite. This is an iron meteorite broken off of a piece of asteroid. Found in Antarctica. Even though this meteorite was collected in Elephant Moraine, Antarctica in 1979, some scientists believe that it came from the planet Mars. The minerals found in this rock are similar to those that scientists expect to find in rocks on Mars. This meteorite also contains vesicles, or shiny pockets, which contain air very much like the air measured on Mars by the Viking spacecraft. This meteorite is 180 million years old. This is a meteorite, a rock that fell to Earth from space. It was found in December 1984 in Antarctica by a U.S. meteorite-hunting expedition. When it was found, ALH 84001 weighed about 4 and 3/4 pounds (1.93 kilograms). It was shaped like a rounded brick or a large potato, about 6 inches long by 4 inches by 3 inches, and was partly covered with black glass (like it was dipped in tar). The glass, called fusion crust, forms on all meteorites when they burn through the Earth’s atmosphere. ALH 84001 looked green inside, which really excited the expedition. But back at civilization, ALH 84001 looks much grayer inside than green.
If you like rocks, meteorites can be quite addicting to search for...and you get to go to Antarctica.
12 Comments
mackinna
11/27/2017 03:33:04 pm
haha I love when the alien hits the red thing into earth and it starts to spin like crazy
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gandalf
11/27/2017 03:52:48 pm
nice job on the blog i am sad i could go to school today
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Mooasus/Sammy
11/27/2017 04:06:29 pm
Goo job on the blog to day Mrs.Taylor!! The pictures are super funny!!
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tobin
11/27/2017 04:13:23 pm
that actully was intresting at first i thought it was going to be boring but it was awesome!!!!
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Ben/moose/neb/pinkpegallamacorn
11/27/2017 04:48:43 pm
Ok so I loved the break did enyone else tell us about it also my aunt who lives in the moulins has eleven cats 3 dogs four horses three cows she used to own one more dog a losers three more cats and four bids she has a lot of animals
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KENNEDY
11/27/2017 04:58:19 pm
I STILL DONT GET THE DIFFRENCE BETWEEN ALL OF THEM
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mia
11/27/2017 04:59:42 pm
this is so fun I finally understand it I thought they were all the same
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Luke
11/27/2017 08:17:33 pm
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Sadie
11/27/2017 09:29:51 pm
Good job on the blog today Mrs. Taylor!!!
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Addy
11/28/2017 12:02:22 pm
Funny blog Mrs. Taylor the rocks looked cool
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tyler
11/28/2017 08:38:13 am
comets are huge!!!!
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Narwhal/Sophie silva
11/28/2017 11:54:09 am
I like the first pic the most! That’s what i do all the time!!😋
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |