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A printable worksheet for the lesson Meteor showers and comets (Start here: Explorer). It prints on A4 without the website around it. The answers are on a separate sheet for the teacher.

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Start here: Explorer · Ages 10 and upHowardites worksheet

Meteor showers and comets

Name:Class:Date:

Key words

Meteor shower
A time each year when many more shooting stars than usual can be seen, all seeming to come from the same part of the sky.
Comet
An icy, dusty object from the outer Solar System that grows a glowing head and tail when it comes near the Sun.
Meteorite
A meteorite is a piece of space rock that has survived its fall through the air and landed on Earth.
Radiant
The point in the sky that all the meteors in a shower seem to fly out from.
Perseids
The Perseids are a popular summer meteor shower each August, made by dust from Comet Swift–Tuttle.
Leonids
The Leonids are a November meteor shower from Comet Tempel–Tuttle, famous for occasional spectacular storms.

Choose the right answer

Circle the letter of the right answer.

  1. Using the naming rule, where does the radiant of the Perseids lie?
    • AIn the constellation Leo
    • BIn the constellation Orion
    • CIn the constellation Gemini
    • DIn the constellation Perseus
  2. Why does Earth meet debris from Halley's Comet twice each year?
    • AHalley's Comet comes back twice every year
    • BEarth's orbit crosses its stream in two places
    • CThe Moon splits the comet's stream into two parts
    • DTwo different comets have been given Halley's name
  3. Which everyday sight works in the same way as a meteor shower's radiant?
    • AA rainbow appearing in the sky after rain
    • BRipples spreading out from a stone in a pond
    • CParallel railway lines seeming to meet
    • DA torch beam spreading out across a wall
  4. Where do the meteoroids that drop meteorites usually come from?
    • AThe surface of the Sun
    • BThe asteroid belt
    • CDust storms on Mars
    • DComet dust trails
  5. Why do meteorite-dropping meteoroids arrive at random times instead of on set dates?
    • AThey only fall to Earth when there is a full Moon
    • BThey are scattered asteroid pieces, not a yearly stream
    • CThey wait in orbit around Earth for years before falling
    • DThey are released by passing comets on random days

True or false?

Is the answer given right? Tick True or False.

  1. Which of these showers strikes the Earth fastest?

    Answer given: The Leonids, at about 71 km/s TrueFalse

  2. What is a comet made of?

    Answer given: Solid iron and nickel TrueFalse

Write your answer

Answer in a word or a short sentence.

  1. Why does a meteor shower happen at about the same time each year?
  2. Which shower comes from Comet Swift–Tuttle?
  3. Which sighting is most likely to have dropped a meteorite?

Task

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.

Howardites · free to copy for use in your classroom · answers are on the separate teacher's answer sheet