Astronomy Packet:  6 Assignment # 2

Comets:

With all this talk about comets we need to discuss what a comet is.  Comets are very fast moving objects made up of a lot of ice, and a little bit of rock.  They move much faster than asteroids, making it much more dangerous for a comet to hit the Earth than an Asteroid.

Short term comets such as Hailey's Comet which comes near the Earth every 76 years originate from the Kuiper Belt.  Long Term Comets which take thousands of years to circle the Sun come from the Oort Cloud.

The End of The Solar System:

Where does the Solar System end?  Once we get out past the Oort Cloud there are few rocks, or comets, but this is not the end of the Solar System.  The Solar System officially ends when the Sun's Solar Winds begin to blend in with the stellar wind of other stars.

The Sun produces a wind which blows outward in all directions.  This wind is what blew away the cloud of dust and gas the Sun originally formed in.  This solar wind can be felt for trillions of miles.  Once the wind gets to weak and begins to mix with the winds of other stars this is where we say the Solar System ends.

A Few Moons:

Assignment # 2:

Click Here to find the answers to the following questions:

1.  How many worlds are there in the Solar System?

2.  Is a moon always smaller than a planet?

3.  What is the only difference between what we call a moon, and what we call a planet?

4.  Which moon has a very thick atmosphere?

5.  Which moon might have a liquid water ocean?