3.6.3

Other Astronomical Bodies

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Other Astronomical Bodies

As well as planets, there are lots of other bodies in the solar system.

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Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites

  • Meteoroids are smaller than asteroids.
  • Meteoroids orbit the Sun.
    • A meteoroid that enters our atmosphere and burns up is called a meteor.
    • A meteor that streaks through the night sky is commonly called a shooting star.
    • If a small piece of meteoroid reaches the Earth’s surface, we call this a meteorite.
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Other bodies

  • In the solar system, there are:
    • 5 dwarf planets – these are too small to be a planet.
    • Over 180 moons – these orbit planets.
    • 566,000 asteroids - these are rocks that orbit the Sun between Jupiter and Mars in the asteroid belt.
    • Over 3,000 comets - these are made from dust and ice like big dirty snowballs.
      • A comet called Halley’s Comet is pictured in the Bayeaux Tapestry.
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History of the solar system

  • The solar system is thought to have formed 4.6 billion years ago.
  • People first thought that the Earth was the centre of the Universe. This is NOT correct.
  • Observations show that the Sun is the centre of the solar system.
  • We call the modern day model of the solar system 'The Heliocentric Model'.
    • Helios was the Ancient Greek word for the Sun.
    • A Polish astronomer called Nicolaus Copernicus suggested the Heliocentric Model.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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