Asteroid and Comet Impacts: What Can and Should We Do?
Michael McParland
Physical Science: Extraterrestrial
Professor Field
Term Paper The Earth has been hit countless times by asteroids and comets throughout its existence. These impacts are extremely dangerous and need to be monitored in order to be prepared for future collisions. The size of the asteroid or comet directly impacts the damage that is caused. The bigger the object, the larger and more dangerous the impact. Asteroids and comets differ in their composition, their creation and the impact they leave on Earth but do follow similar lifecycles. Asteroids, also known as planetoids, are small, airless rocky objects that revolve around the sun in space. Due to their size, …show more content…
Most asteroids are located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This ring of asteroids contains hundreds of thousands of asteroids that range in size from being relatively small to being more than 60 miles in diameter. Asteroids are leftovers from the creation of our solar system more than 4.6 billion years ago. Back then, when Jupiter was created, it blocked any bodies from forming in the gap between Mars and Jupiter. This caused the objects there to collide and fragment into asteroids. As asteroids revolve around the sun, they collide into each other. This causes the asteroids to have an irregular shape. As for the surface temperature of an asteroid, the average temperature of the surface of an asteroid is minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Their physical appearance varies greatly. Some asteroids are solid cylindrical bodies whilst others are just piles of small rubble that are merely held together by gravity. Asteroids are also classified into three distinct categories based on their composition. The first classification if called C-type. They appear grey in their composition and make up around 75% of all known …show more content…
Comets consist of a few different materials including dust, ice, carbon dioxide, ammonia and other various materials. It is believed by Astronomers that comets are the remnants from the gas, dust, ice and rocks that were the origins of the solar system. Astronomers also believe that comets brought water and organic molecules to Earth that led to the creation of life. Comets mainly orbit the Sun but it is also believed that they are located in an area called the Oort Cloud which lies near the orbit of Pluto. The core of a comet mainly consists of ice and dust coated with dark organic material. As a comet’s orbit brings it closer to the Sun, the ice surrounding the comet begins to melt and fade away, creating a cloud surrounding it called a coma. This leads to the creation of the comet’s tail. As the comet orbits the sun, radiation pushes the dust particles to the rear end of the comet, creating the tail. The comet’s tail always points away from the Sun, due to the fact that the comet’s tails are shaped by sunlight and solar wind. Comets and asteroids appear very similar in physical characteristics but the most obvious difference is the lack of tails and comas in
Michael McParland
Physical Science: Extraterrestrial
Professor Field
Term Paper The Earth has been hit countless times by asteroids and comets throughout its existence. These impacts are extremely dangerous and need to be monitored in order to be prepared for future collisions. The size of the asteroid or comet directly impacts the damage that is caused. The bigger the object, the larger and more dangerous the impact. Asteroids and comets differ in their composition, their creation and the impact they leave on Earth but do follow similar lifecycles. Asteroids, also known as planetoids, are small, airless rocky objects that revolve around the sun in space. Due to their size, …show more content…
Most asteroids are located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This ring of asteroids contains hundreds of thousands of asteroids that range in size from being relatively small to being more than 60 miles in diameter. Asteroids are leftovers from the creation of our solar system more than 4.6 billion years ago. Back then, when Jupiter was created, it blocked any bodies from forming in the gap between Mars and Jupiter. This caused the objects there to collide and fragment into asteroids. As asteroids revolve around the sun, they collide into each other. This causes the asteroids to have an irregular shape. As for the surface temperature of an asteroid, the average temperature of the surface of an asteroid is minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Their physical appearance varies greatly. Some asteroids are solid cylindrical bodies whilst others are just piles of small rubble that are merely held together by gravity. Asteroids are also classified into three distinct categories based on their composition. The first classification if called C-type. They appear grey in their composition and make up around 75% of all known …show more content…
Comets consist of a few different materials including dust, ice, carbon dioxide, ammonia and other various materials. It is believed by Astronomers that comets are the remnants from the gas, dust, ice and rocks that were the origins of the solar system. Astronomers also believe that comets brought water and organic molecules to Earth that led to the creation of life. Comets mainly orbit the Sun but it is also believed that they are located in an area called the Oort Cloud which lies near the orbit of Pluto. The core of a comet mainly consists of ice and dust coated with dark organic material. As a comet’s orbit brings it closer to the Sun, the ice surrounding the comet begins to melt and fade away, creating a cloud surrounding it called a coma. This leads to the creation of the comet’s tail. As the comet orbits the sun, radiation pushes the dust particles to the rear end of the comet, creating the tail. The comet’s tail always points away from the Sun, due to the fact that the comet’s tails are shaped by sunlight and solar wind. Comets and asteroids appear very similar in physical characteristics but the most obvious difference is the lack of tails and comas in