Other Bodies
What are Asteroids?
Asteroids
Asteroids are minor planets which are mostly found between the orbits of
Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are also called planetoids. Giuseppe Piazzi
identified the largest asteroid called Ceres having a diameter of
900-1000 km.
Many asteroids have been identified whose orbits
cross Earth’s orbit and therefore can collide with the Earth. A theory
of dinosaur extinction is based on the fact that a massive asteroid had
hit the Earth’s surface.
What are Comets?
A Comet is a small body composed of volatile ices, rocks and dust, which
orbits the sun.
The tail of a comet is formed due to the effect of
solar radiation over the nucleus of the comet.
Most of the comets
have a highly eccentric orbit which takes them beyond the orbit of
Pluto. Comets are visible only when they are near to the Sun. Till date,
the most famous comet is Comet Halley which was seen in 1910 & 1986
and will again be seen in early 2062.
Comets
A meteor, also known as a shooting star or a falling star, is the part
of the meteoroid visible to the naked eye. A meteoroid which is able to
hit the Earth’s surface after surviving the atmosphere is called a
Meteorite.
The hitting of a meteorite causes a crater on the
Earth’s surface. Most of the meteoroids are broken down into dust
particles while passing through the atmosphere.
Meteors