Howardites

The answer sheet for the worksheet Meteor showers and comets. Each answer comes with the reason, so it can be used to mark or to go over the questions with the class.

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Start here: Explorer · Ages 10 and upAnswer sheet for teachers

Answers: Meteor showers and comets

  1. D: In the constellation PerseusShowers are named after the constellation of their radiant, so the Perseids radiate from Perseus.
  2. B: Earth's orbit crosses its stream in two placesEarth passes through Halley's debris in May and October, giving the Eta Aquariids and the Orionids.
  3. C: Parallel railway lines seeming to meetShower meteoroids travel on almost parallel paths, which perspective makes seem to spread from one point.
  4. B: The asteroid beltMeteorite-dropping meteoroids are pieces of asteroid, not comet dust.
  5. B: They are scattered asteroid pieces, not a yearly streamShowers repeat because Earth crosses a stream each year; asteroid fragments are not arranged like that.
  6. True (The Leonids, at about 71 km/s)The Leonids arrive at about 71 km/s and the Perseids at about 59 km/s.
  7. False: the right answer is Ice, dust and rockA comet is a body of ice, dust and rock, usually a few kilometres across.
  8. Earth meets the stream at the same place each orbit (accept any answer with the same meaning)Earth reaches the place where its orbit crosses the stream at the same time each year.
  9. The Perseids (accept any answer with the same meaning)The Perseids are made by dust from Comet Swift–Tuttle.
  10. A bright fireball on an ordinary night (accept any answer with the same meaning)A fireball on any ordinary night is far more likely to have dropped a meteorite than any shower.

Task

Answers will vary. The task comes from the lesson: During a meteor shower, sketch the stars in one part of the sky and draw each meteor you see as an arrow. Extend the arrows backwards. Do they point back to the same area? That is the radiant.

Look for work that uses the key words correctly and gives a reason for each point.

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