Chapter 12: Asteroids, Meteorites, Comets, and Other Debris

Study Plan

Asteroids and comets are tiny in comparison to planets; yet these objects, and their fragments that fall to Earth as meteorites, have told us much of what we know about the early history of the Solar System. As we explore these bits of interplanetary flotsam and jetsam, we will discover

  • Small, irregular worlds called asteroids that are made of rock and metal.
  • That some asteroids are primitive while others are differentiated or are pieces of larger, differentiated bodies.
  • Different types of meteorites that are fragments of these varieties of asteroids.
  • That most asteroids orbit between Mars and Jupiter, but some have orbits that cross Earth's.
  • Comet nuclei—pristine, icy planetesimals—adrift in the frozen outer reaches of the Solar System.
  • Spectacular active comets that are warmed by the Sun as they dive through the inner Solar System.
  • Meteor showers that occur when Earth passes through a comet's trail of debris.
  • World-jarring meteorite impacts that still occur today and have played a vital role in shaping the history of life on Earth.

Organize

  1. Read Chapter 12 in your textbook or ebook.
  2. Take the Diagnostic Quiz to assess your understanding of the basic concepts and identify gaps in your understanding of the assigned reading.

Learn

  1. Use the FlashCards to test your memory for new terms.
  2. Review Extrusions Box 12.1 on Meteors, Meteoroids, Meteorites, and Comets, and Box 12.2 on Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
  3. If your instructor has assigned SmartWork online homework, login from the right navigation pane for additional practice and review.

Connect

  1. Periodic Connections boxes and the Seeing the Forest through the Trees section at the chapter's end draw your attention to recurring themes and help prepare you for concepts explored more fully in subsequent chapters.
  2. Visit Astronomy in the News for breaking news of new discoveries and the opportunity to apply what you've learned in this chapter to real-world (and real Universe) events.


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Organize

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