Bodies of the Solar System: Planets, Comets and the Kuiper Belt
The planets, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets that orbit the Sun, the structure of a comet, and where short-period and long-period comets come from at the edge of the Solar System.
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The Solar System family ☀️
The Sun is orbited by a whole family of objects. There are the eight **planets**, but also **dwarf planets**, and countless smaller bodies: **asteroids**, **meteoroids** and **comets**. This module explores these bodies, the structure of a comet, and where comets come from at the very edge of the Solar System.
Types of body 🔑
The main kinds of object in the Solar System:
Planets from the Sun 🪜
An interactive activity.
Match the body 🔗
- Planet
- Dwarf planet
- Asteroid
- Comet
- A large body that has cleared its orbit
- A round body that has not cleared its orbit
- A small rocky body, mostly in the asteroid belt
- A small icy body that grows a tail near the Sun
Between which planets? 🎯
Most asteroids orbit the Sun in a belt between which two planets?
- Mars and Jupiter
- Earth and Mars
- Jupiter and Saturn
- Venus and Earth
Gas giants vs rocky planets ⚖️
The eight planets fall into two groups.
Small Solar System Objects ✅
Select the TWO that count as Small Solar System Objects.
- Asteroids
- Comets
- The planet Earth
- The Sun
The parts of a comet ☄️
A comet has three main parts: - The **nucleus**: a small, solid, icy core. - The **coma**: a cloud of gas and dust that forms around the nucleus as the comet nears the Sun and its ice turns to gas. - The **tails**: streams of gas and dust that always point **away from the Sun**, pushed by the solar wind and sunlight.
Which way does a tail point? 📋
In which direction does a comet's tail always point?
- Away from the Sun
- Towards the Sun
- Always behind the direction of travel
- Always downwards
Where comets come from 🌌
Comets come from two distant regions, depending on how long their orbit takes.
The Solar System in words 🧱
The eight _____ orbit the Sun, along with dwarf planets and smaller bodies. Rocky asteroids mostly lie in a belt between Mars and _____. A comet is an _____ body whose tail points away from the _____. Short-period comets come from the _____ Belt beyond Neptune.
Spot the comet parts 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Name that body 🧭
An interactive activity.
Describe a comet ✍️
An interactive activity.