 Journal
Entry - Take out your science journal and
answer the following question(s) (use drawings as appropriate): |
If you have watched the night sky, you may have seen shooting stars, meteor showers, or even comet Hale-Bopp. If you have seen any of these you know there are more objects in the sky.
Comets can be thought of as a dirty snowball about the size of an Earth mountain. They come from the cold, outer solar system. These small bodies of loosely packed ice, rock, and cosmic dust orbit the sun in long, narrow ellipses or ovals. As comets approach the sun the heat causes them to vaporize, which releases dust and rock. This dust and rock forms the tail.
Meteoroids usually come from asteroids or comets. When they enter the earth’s atmosphere, they burn up due to friction. Meteoroids then produce streaks of light that some people mistakenly call shooting stars; which are really meteors.
Normally, a meteor burns up; but every once in awhile one sneaks through the atmosphere and hits the Earth’s surface. This is known as a meteorite. Most of them look like Earth's rocks and go unnoticed. Some have caused craters as big as 200 m deep and 1.2 km wide.
Making a Dirty
Comet |
CAUTION BEFORE YOU BEGIN THIS ACTIVITY
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE FOLLOWING SAFETY MATERIALS:
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GLOVES
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GOGGLES
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ADULT SUPERVISION!
Materials:
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Large plastic bag
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1cup water
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1/2 cup ammonia
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Large handful of dirt
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5 pounds dry ice
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Can of root beer
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1 tablespoon molasses
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Large bowl
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Garbage bag
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Hair dryer
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Hammer
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Gloves
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Wooden or metal spoon
Procedure: CAUTION! Remember that for safety, this activity needs to be done in a ventilated area (or outdoors) in the presence of an adult! Make sure to wear you safety goggles!!
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Take your large bowl and line with a garbage bag.
- Inside the bowl lined with the garbage bag, mix the molasses, root beer, ammonia, water and dirt.
- Wearing gloves use the hammer to break your dry ice into smaller pieces.
- Pour the dry ice into your wet mixture.
- Quickly grab the edges of the bag and use it to form your ball or comet. CONTINUE WEARING THE GLOVES WHILE YOU ARE DOING THIS!!
- Use the garbage bag to take your comet out of the bowl, and lay it out on a flat surface.
- Take your hair dryer, turn it on, and aim it at the comet. You should be able to see the gases pointing away from the comet, forming the tail. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE HAIR DRYER REPRESENTS THE SUN AND SOLAR WIND? This is why a comet’s tail always points away from the sun. The tail only becomes visible when a comet nears the sun. The heat of the sun causes the ice in the comet to melt allowing us to can see the gases vapors as a tail.
- Every 10-15 min use your senses to record, in word or picture, all changes that take place.
Interactive comet activity:
This Web site has a great activity called "Make a Comet".
Meteorites Mess
Materials:
- Pie plate
- Flour
- fruit punch drink powder
- one potato or rock (ranging from small to medium)
- one sheet of paper
- Meter stick
- Newspapers
Procedure:
- Layer the flour one inch deep into the pie plate. Cover the surface with one ounce of fruit punch powder.
- Put the pie plate on the ground with newspapers underneath it.
- From the height of one meter, drop the potato or the rock on to the pie plate.
- Remove the potato or the rock.
Analysis:
Measure, draw, and record the diameter, the depth, and the distance from the crater the flour was spread. Compare the results of your investigation with other students' results.
Previous
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| Get the plug-ins: Want to share a photograph of you or your friends doing this activity? Send the photograph attached to an e-mail with the following information: the title of the activity, the URL (Internet address), and your name. Remember that no picture can be used showing student faces or with a student name on it. Send comments to Glen Westbroek. Updated July 21, 2005 by: Glen
Westbroek |
