Section 1
Pluto and Moons Mix Ice and Rock
Pluto and many moons of giant planets contain mixtures of ice and rock. Their features form through the same processes that shape terrestrial planets: tectonics, volcanism, weathering, and impact cratering.
In this Grade 6 Earth Science lesson from Chapter 21, students learn how small solar system objects like Pluto, asteroids, and comets are composed of ice and rock, and how their composition depends on where they formed relative to the Sun. Students also compare the characteristics of asteroids and comets, explore Pluto and the moons of the giant planets, and discover what happens when tiny objects such as meteors and meteorites enter Earth's atmosphere.
Section 1
Pluto and Moons Mix Ice and Rock
Pluto and many moons of giant planets contain mixtures of ice and rock. Their features form through the same processes that shape terrestrial planets: tectonics, volcanism, weathering, and impact cratering.
Section 2
Asteroids Orbit Between Mars and Jupiter
Rocky bodies called asteroids primarily orbit in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These irregular-shaped objects range from less than 1 km to almost 1000 km across, with surfaces covered in craters.
Section 3
Comets Create Tails When Approaching the Sun
Icy comets develop glowing comas and tails when solar radiation transforms their ice into gas. Their tails always point away from the Sun regardless of travel direction and can stretch millions of kilometers.
Section 4
Space Particles Generate Meteors in Earth's Atmosphere
When tiny particles from space enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, they heat up and create glowing streaks called meteors. Larger objects that survive the atmosphere and reach Earth's surface become meteorites.
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Section 1
Pluto and Moons Mix Ice and Rock
Pluto and many moons of giant planets contain mixtures of ice and rock. Their features form through the same processes that shape terrestrial planets: tectonics, volcanism, weathering, and impact cratering.
Section 2
Asteroids Orbit Between Mars and Jupiter
Rocky bodies called asteroids primarily orbit in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These irregular-shaped objects range from less than 1 km to almost 1000 km across, with surfaces covered in craters.
Section 3
Comets Create Tails When Approaching the Sun
Icy comets develop glowing comas and tails when solar radiation transforms their ice into gas. Their tails always point away from the Sun regardless of travel direction and can stretch millions of kilometers.
Section 4
Space Particles Generate Meteors in Earth's Atmosphere
When tiny particles from space enter Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, they heat up and create glowing streaks called meteors. Larger objects that survive the atmosphere and reach Earth's surface become meteorites.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter