8

Science
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
EARTH AND SPACE
Asteroids, Comets and Meteors

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

Science – Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 3: Earth and Space
First Edition, 2019

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor M. Briones
Undersecretary: Atty. Nepomuceno A. Malaluan,
Assistant Secretary: Alma Ruby C. Torio

Development Team of the Module

Authors: Shawn Dwight A. Ga, Joann R. Agoncillo, Mary Grace M. Lad
Editor: Nonita C. Patalinghug, PhD
Reviewers: Michelle S. Luchavez
Illustrator: Marwen C. Guias
Layout Artist: Michelle S. Luchavez, Bryan S. Samonte, Jenile Y. Orias, Randy D.
Bocani, Louweben G. Maquizo, Marwen C. Guias
Management Team: Gregoria T. Su, PhD
Marvilyn C. Francia, PhD
Nonita C. Patalinghug, PhD
Jay S. Ayap

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education-Bislig City Division

Department of Education – Bureau of Learning Resources (DepEd-BLR)

Office Address: Poblacion, Bislig City

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 8

Science
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
Asteroids, Comets and Meteors

This instructional material was collaboratively developed and

reviewed by educators from public and private schools, colleges, and
or/universities. We encourage teachers and other education stakeholders to
email their feedback, comments, and recommendations to the Department of
Education at action@deped.gov.ph.

We value your feedback and recommendations.

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

Introductory Message
For the teacher:

This learning material is designed to help students enrich their learning

experiences by answering activities that are meaningful to their lives which can be
done by themselves. A variety of enjoyable tasks are presented.
Activities are provided as formative assessment to check from time to time
student‟s understanding of the lesson. Given the range of learning activities in this
package, teachers are encouraged to freely adapt them to suit their school contexts
and students‟ needs, interests and abilities.

For the learner:

This Learning Resource- ASTEROIDS, COMETS AND METEORS is

developed for you to enjoy while learning. There are various activities and check-up
tests you need to take.
Take note of the instructions as you journey through this module to have a
solid understanding on what you are expected to accomplish. Carefully read and
follow the instructions to hit what you are expected to do.
Answer keys are provided which you can refer to when checking your
answers. Record your score at the Student‟s Progress Chart and inform your teacher
on your development.
Feel free to use this material and if progress is not evident, you can make use of it
again until such that the desired passing mark is achieved.

2
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you compare and
contrast asteroids, comets and meteors. The scope of this module permits it to be used in
many different learning situations.

Subject Area: Earth and Space 8

Content Standard: The learners demonstrate an understanding of characteristics of

comets, meteors, and asteroids.
Lesson 1: Asteroids, Comets and Meteors.
Main Learning Competency:
Compare and contrast comets, meteors, and asteroids (S8ES-IIg-22)
Unpacked Competencies:
1. Define comets, meteors and asteroids;
2. Draw comets, meteors and asteroids and their orbit; and
3. State the importance of comets, asteroids and meteors in terms of research.

Lesson 2: Appearance of Comets

Main Learning Competency:
Predict the appearance of comets based on recorded data of previous appearances
(S8ES-IIh-23)
Unpacked Competencies:
1. Demonstrate understanding on the characteristics of comets,
2. Determine the composition of comets; and
3. Illustrate the formation of comets.

Lesson 3: Regular Occurrence of Meteor Shower

Main Learning Competency:
Explain the regular occurrence of meteor showers (S8ES-Iii-j-24)
Unpacked Competencies:
1. Differentiate meteoroid, meteor and meteorite;
2. Describe how meteor shower is developed; and
3. Explain the regular occurrence of meteor shower.

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Pre-Assessment:
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet
of paper.

1. Which of the following is commonly called as the “shooting stars”? They are caused
by the inter-planetary dust that touches the earth‟s atmosphere.
A. Asteroids
B. Comets
C. Meteors
D. Meteorites

2. What are found in the doughnut-shaped region between Mars and Jupiter?
A. Asteroids
B. Comets
C. Meteors
D. Meteorites

3. What are found on the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud where in this line it is cold enough
for gasses, water and other matter to freeze?
A. Asteroids
B. Comets
C. Meteors
D. Meteorites

4. What are comets made of?

A. Dust only
B. Metal only
C. Dust and metal
D. Dust, metal and Ice

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5. What is the shining „head‟ around a comet?
A. Coma
B. Crown
C. Halo
D. Ring

6. What do you a call a deep impression brought by the objects that fell down on a
planet or moon?
A. Canyon
B. Craters
C. Pothole
D. Plateau

7. Why did dinosaurs go extinct?

A. They caught the flu
B. An Asteroid hit the earth
C. They ate each other until they went extinct
D. That a meteorite came and hit our Earth causing their extinction

8. What causes the bright sparks of light that brought by meteors?

A. Air condensation
B. Air compression
C. Air friction
D. Air diction

9. What is the major difference between comet, asteroid and meteor in terms of
structure?
A. A comet contains icy shell while asteroid and meteor do not have.
B. A meteor contains icy shell while asteroid and comet do not have.
C. An asteroid contains icy shell while asteroid and meteor do not have.
D. An asteroid and comet contains icy shell while meteors do not have.

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10. Identify the correct location of each heavenly objects in which they are commonly
seen.
A. Asteroid: Kuiper Belt; Comet: Asteroid Belt; Meteor: Earth‟s Atmosphere
B. Asteroid: Asteroid Belt; Comet: Earth‟s Atmosphere; Meteor: Kuiper Belt
C. Asteroid: Asteroid Belt; Comet: Kuiper Belt; Meteor: Earth‟s Atmosphere
D. Asteroid: Earth‟s Atmosphere; Comet: Kuiper Belt; Meteor: Earth‟s
Atmosphere.

11. What is a heavenly object called when it reaches the Earth?

A. Meteoroid
B. Meteorite
C. Meteor
D. Mete

12. What will happen if a comet gets closer to the sun?

A. A comet will form a long tail made of gas and dust.
B. A comet will melt and disappear
C. A comet will explode
D. A comet will expire

13. When is meteor shower produced?

A. A large number of sporadic meteors are observed.
B. The Earth passes through the asteroid belt.
C. The Earth passes through the orbital path of a comet.
D. Meteors cause condensation in the upper atmosphere that leads to early
morning rains.

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14. What is the celestial body shown below?

A. Asteroid
B. Comet
C. Meteoroid
D. Meteorite

15. What is the celestial body shown below?

A. Asteroid
B. Comet
C. Meteor
D. Meteorite

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Lesson
Earth and Space: The Asteroids,
1 Comets and Meteors
In this lesson, you are going to compare and contrast the different celestial objects which are
the asteroids, comets and meteors.

Direction: Write a short description of the following celestial bodies seen below.

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Comets, Asteroids and Meteors Characteristics
Recent discoveries in space sciences have made the space experts to know more
about the Near-Earth Objects (NEO) like comets, asteroids and meteors. With the advent of
telescopes, space probes these instruments provide more knowledge on the beginning of
the universe. Recently astronomers have discovered NEOs that came close to the earth
that is the asteroid 2012 DA14. It made a very close coming to the earth as this orbited the
sun on February 16, 2012 that caused explosion over the Lake Cherbakul in Russia causing
damage and injuries to about 1,000 people.

Table 1: Comparison of some characteristics of comets, asteroids and meteors.

Characteristic Comet Asteroid Meteor

Origin Kuiper Belt and Oort Asteroid Belt Most are from the
Cloud Asteroid Belt
Chemical Dust, Rock, Metal Dust, Rock, and Fragments of
composition and Ice Metal Asteroids and
Comets. Creates
fiery ball caused by
air friction
Orbit Highly elliptical More rounded No orbit as it is
Orbital Period (in 75 to 100,000++ 1-100 inside the Earth‟s
years) Atmosphere

Activity 1: Identify it!

Directions: Based on the Characteristic- Chemical Composition given on the table,
identify which picture below is a comet, asteroid or meteor. Give a short description for
each.

___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________
___________________ ___________________ ___________________

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 Asteroids, comets and meteors come in different sizes and composition. Much
silicate content allowed the asteroids, comets and meteors to reflect light. Silicates are type
of metal that has silicon, oxygen and at least one metal. If an asteroid has fewer silicate
content, then it would be hard to see them even with the aid of a telescope because only a
small portion of asteroid can reflect light and it might appear smaller than its actual size.

Both the comet and asteroid orbit the earth and move relatively slow when viewed
from the earth. This means that you can view a comet for up to a year in the night sky. The
main difference between the comet and asteroid is the origin. Comets typically comes from
the Oort Cloud which is beyond the solar system and some from the Kuiper belt which is
beyond the Neptune‟s orbit. Long period comets come from the Oort Cloud while short
period comes from the Kuiper Belt. Comet Hailey is the most well-known short period comet
of the 20th century since takes 75-79 years for Comet Hailey to orbit the Sun. We can view it
in the sky every time it comes closer to the sun. All other comets have been identified as
long period comets since it takes 200 to hundred million years to complete their orbit around
the sun.

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 OORT CLOUD KUIPER BELT

ASTEROID BELT

On the other hand, asteroids originate from the Main Asteroid Belt or commonly
known as the Asteroid Belt. This is found between the planets Mars and Jupiter. According
to the theory of the astronomers, it is the remnants of the planet that did not completely form.

Q1: What is the difference between comet and asteroid in terms of origin?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Q2: Where did asteroid originated?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Q3: Where did the comet originated?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

The orbit of an asteroid is more rounded and is less elliptical than the orbit of the
comet. On February 2013, Asteroid 2012 DA14 made a closer approach to the Earth as it
orbited the Sun. The distance in space is measured through light years and this asteroid was
just 0.4 light away from Earth, the closest that the any asteroid have ever been on Earth. On
December 2012, during the issue of the doomsday prophecies, Asteroid Toutatis have made
a near approach to Earth but not as close like Asteroid 2012 DA14.

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Q4: What is the difference of the orbit of an asteroid and a comet?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Another difference between comets and asteroids are their chemical composition.
Comets contains ice or icy object including dust and metal the elements like sodium and
argon while asteroids only do contain dust and metal. Through further studies, scientists
learned that Comet-Hale Bopp contained argon which was believed to explain the very bright
appearance of the comet in 1997. Scientists also discovered a faint sodium tail, a third type
of comet tail to add to the well-known dust and plasma or commonly known as ion tails. On
the other hand, an asteroid is mostly composed of rock (silicates) and metals (iron and nickel
being the usual metals). The comet‟s nucleus is termed as „dirty snowball‟ made of ice. As
the comet, gets closer to the Sun, the ice melts and boil off together with particle of dust.
These particles of gases make a shining head around the comet called coma

Q5: What is the difference between comet and the asteroid in terms of chemical
composition?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

COMET ANATOMY

COMA

DUST TAIL

PLASMA/ ION TAIL

NUCLEUS

The comet‟s composition provides clues for the scientist to understand how Earth
obtained liquid water which make the earth habitable. It was theorized by the scientists that
planet have been too hot tom have water on the surface. By having a closer study on
comet‟s orbits and the chemical composition of materials found in impact craters that is

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found around the earth and the samples of ice collected from drilling down Earth‟s crust and
marine layers, impact of comets on Earth brought water to the planet.

The composition of an asteroid provides information to the chemical composition of

the Earth and other planets in the solar system. Asteroids are composed by iron and nickel,
the same metals that makes up the Earth‟s core. The discovery of iridium in oceanic
sedimentary layers in different parts of the world such as Italy, Denmark and New Zealand
during the late 1970s by the geologists Luis and Walter Alvarez led to the proposal of
Alvarez Hypothesis. With this hypothesis, an asteroid with approximately ten kilometers in
diameter made impact with Earth that caused materials to be thrown in the air blocking
sunlight bringing a period of long winter that cause mass extinction of plants and animals
including the dinosaurs.

Q6: Give the differences of comet and asteroid in terms of how important these Near-Earth
objects are to understand the chemical composition of the Earth?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

The fiery ball structure shown the picture above is called meteor that is a small
fragment formed from asteroids and comets. This fragment or remnant enters the earth‟s
atmosphere and because of air friction, it becomes incandescent. To avoid confusion, bear
in mind that debris or remnants outside the earth‟s atmosphere is called meteoroid. When it
is inside the earth‟s atmosphere it is called a meteor and when it landed on the ground it is
then called meteorite.

Q7: What are the differences of comet, asteroid and meteor in terms of chemical
composition, origin, orbit, etc.?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

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Activity 1- LOCATE IT!
Directions: Identify what Near-Earth-Objects are seen in each item. Choose your answer
from the box.

ASTEROID COMETS METEORS

1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________

_ _ _

Assessment 1- Locate It!

Directions: Identify what is being referred to in each item. Choose your answer from the
box. Write only the letter of your answer on the space provided.

A. Earth‟s Atmosphere B. Kuiper Belt C. Jupiter

D. Oort Cloud E. Asteroid Belt F. Uranus

_______1. It is the origin of the comets that is beyond the solar system.

_______2. It is the origin of the asteroid.

_______3. It is the origin of the comets that is beyond the planet Neptune

_______4. It is where meteors can be found.

_______5.Asteroids can be found between Mars and ________.

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Activity 2- MIX IT!
Directions: Determine the Near-Earth Objects that will result after mixing components or
after collision of different celestial components. Choose Asteroid, Comet or Meteor. Write
your answer at the box.

ICE DUST METAL

DUST METAL

COLLISION

ASTEROID ASTEROID

Assessment 2- Mix It!

Directions: Fill-in in the Venn diagram below by identifying the components present in
Asteroid, Comets and Meteors. Put at the shared arc on the chemical components that is
present in two or three Near-Earth Objects while put at the outside arc the chemical
component/s that can only be found at the Near-Earth Objects being mentioned.

ASTEROIDS

METEORS COMETS

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Activity 3- DRAW THE ORBIT!
Directions: Draw the orbits of Asteroid and Comet that revolve around the sun.

ASTEROID

COMET

Assessment 3- Draw the Orbit!

Directions: Describe the shape of the orbits.

1. Asteroid ________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________

2. Comet ________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________

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 1. Asteroid- is a huge, irregularly shaped object that orbits the sun. This rocky
object is composed of dust and metal and its origin are mostly from the
Asteroid belt.
2. Comet- an icy rocky object which is composed of ice, dust and metal. Its
origin is either from Kuiper belt which is beyond the Neptune and Oort Cloud
which is beyond the solar system.
3. Meteor- Rocky objects formed from the collision of asteroids and comets.
This object enters the earth‟s atmosphere that becomes incandescent as a
result of air friction and appearing as streak of light.

Table 2: Comparison of the Characteristics of Comet, Asteroid and Meteor

Characteristic Comet Asteroid Meteor

Origin Kuiper Belt and Oort Asteroid Belt Most are from the
Cloud Asteroid Belt
Chemical Dust, Rock, Metal Dust, Rock, and Fragments of
composition and Ice Metal Asteroids and
Comets. Creates
fiery ball caused by
air friction
Orbit Highly elliptical More rounded No orbit as it is
Orbital Period (in 75 to 100,000++ 1-100 inside the Earth‟s
years) Atmosphere
Importance to Provides clues on Provides information Provides information
research how liquid water was on the composition on star formation
formed on Earth of the earth‟s interior and evolution.

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Directions: Read the news article about the expected hit of asteroid on Earth that could
possibly cause huge damage. Answer the questions on the next page. Write your answer on
the space provided.

Risks of Asteroid Strike to Earth from Elon Musk's Starlink Project Feared

December 10, 2019- In an attempt to provide internet to all corners of the globe, Elon
Musk's Starlink project will gradually send tens of thousands of satellites into the earth's
orbit. But some astronomers believe the project could increase the chances of asteroid
hits to earth.

Space agencies like Nasa and astronomers make use of telescopes to track near-earth
objects that could pose a threat to earth in the future. However, the task will become
extremely difficult when telescopes have to filter out tens of thousands of Starlink
satellites that are already in the earth's orbit.

A few months back, while interacting with followers on Twitter, the Tesla founder
revealed that humans do not have a proper shield to protect the planet from doomsday
asteroids. He made the comments when one of his followers asked whether asteroid
Apophis will hit earth in 2029.

"Great name! Wouldn't worry about this particular one, but a big rock will hit Earth
eventually & we currently have no defense," wrote Musk on Twitter. However, later Musk
called Nasa's planetary defense mission 'Armageddon', prompting fears that something
sinister from deep space was on its way to earth.

Source: https://www.ibtimes.sg/risks-asteroid-strike-earth-elon-musks-starlink-project-feared-
35714

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Comprehension Check:
1. What is the news all about?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

2. What could possibly happen if the asteroid will hit the earth?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

3. Based on the news you have read, could the hit of the asteroid cause extinction to some
organisms including animals?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

4. What could be the possible measures humans can do to reduce the effects of the asteroid
hitting the earth?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

5. How could the sending of thousands of satellites to the orbit of the earth cause asteroid hit
to the earth?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

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Directions: Draw an asteroid, comet and meteor inside the box.

ASTEROID COMET

METEOR

20
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the letter of your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. How do you call the rocky object that is composed of dust and metal and its origin
are mostly from the Asteroid belt?
A. Asteroid
B. Comet
C. Meteor
D. Meteor Garden

2. What NEO is composed of ice, dust and metal and is either from Oort Cloud or
Kuiper Belt?
A. Comet
B. Meteor
C. Asteroid
D. Meteor Garden

3. What is formed from the collision of asteroids and forms an incandescent streak of
light or fiery ball as it entered the Earth‟s atmosphere?
A. Comet
B. Meteor
C. Asteroid
D. Meteor Garden

4. What is the shape of the orbit of an asteroid?

A. More Rounded
B. Highly elliptical
C. Elliptical
D. Elipse

5. Why are comets important for the scientist?

Because it provides clues about __________
A. Liquid water
B. Earth‟s interior
C. Earth‟s exterior
D. Star formation

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Lesson Earth and Space: Appearance of
2 Comets

Directions: Name the following pictures. Complete the word by adding the missing letters
on the blanks provided.

M __ T __ O R C __ M __ T

A __ T __ R __ __ D __ E T __ O R

S __ O __ __ R

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What is a Comet?

Comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the sun, warms and
begins to release gases, a process called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or
coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are due to the effects of solar radiation
and the solar wind acting upon the nucleus of the comet.

What Does a Comet Consist?

A comet consists of a core of frozen material. This core is only a few kilometers across, far
too small to be seen as more than a tiny point. The core contains frozen methane, ammonia,
and water ice. Dust is mixed in with the ice, so the comet core resembles a "dirty" snowball.

Directions: Give the name of the Comet’s distinct parts. Choose your answer from the box below.

NUCLEUS COMA DUST TAIL ION TAIL

1. 2. 3.

4.

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 Comets are made of several distinct parts: snowball, called nucleus, made of dust and
ice. When the comet comes near the Sun, the nucleus heats up and become active,
causing volatile gas to sublime. The released gas and dust form a cloud, or coma, and
the dust element of the tail.

NUCLEUS (solid snowball) – is the relatively solid and stable centrally located part,
mostly formed of ice and gas with a small amount of dust and other solids like
hydrocarbons.
COMA – is a dense atmosphere surrounding nucleus, made of a cloud of water,
carbon dioxide and other neutral gases as well as dust grains.
DUST TAIL – is the most prominent part of a comet, it can be up to 10 million km
long, composed of smoke-sized dust particles driven off the nucleus by escaping
gases.
ION TAIL – is composed of plasma and laced with rays and streamers caused by
interactions with the solar wind, which can be as much as several hundred million km
long.

 The Origin and Movement of Comets

Comets probably originate far out on the edges of the solar system in a cloud of material
left over from the formation of the solar system. When this cloud of material, called
the Öort cloud, is disturbed by some gravitational influence, such as a nearby star,
clumps of material begin to fall in toward the Sun. Hundreds of thousands (or even
millions) of years later, a few of these objects approach the Sun and begin to warm up.
Eventually, the objects swing around the Sun and head back out into space.

 The Significance of Halley's Comet

Kepler's laws are now known to be a direct consequence of Isaac Newton's laws of
motion and his law of universal gravitation. In 1705, the British astronomer Edmund
Halley realized that Kepler's laws (as extended by Newton) could be applied to comets.
He deduced that a comet seen in 1682 was orbiting the Sun like a planet and had
probably been seen many times before. By examining previous sightings of what he
thought to be the same object, he calculated its orbit and determined its period was 76
years and its semi-major axis was 18 astronomical units. This orbit took the comet past
the orbit of Neptune, to the edge of the solar system where it cannot be seen by
telescopes. Halley predicted that the same comet would return to the inner solar system
again in 1758. Although Halley did not live to see the return of the comet, his prediction
was correct: That particular comet was seen again in 1758. His successful prediction
was a triumph of Isaac Newton's theories of gravity and motion. The comet was named
in Halley's honor, starting a tradition of naming comets after their discoverers.

24
 Halley's Comet as photographed May 8, 1910, by Dr. G.W. Ritchey using the 60-inch (1.5-meter) telescope at Mount
Wilson Observatory, Calif., during the comet's last appearance. The head of the comet and the beginning of its long
tail are shown. Short, straight streaks are background stars. (Image: © NASA/JPL)

 Since astronomers knew the period of Halley's comet, they were able to determine when
it had previously appeared in the inner solar system and became visible. By putting
together records from the Chinese and other ancient peoples, astronomers have
determined that Halley's comet has been observed at every passage since 240 b.c.e.
Halley is usually a spectacular sight, with its tail stretching out at least one astronomical
unit. The tail can stretch many degrees across the sky. Halley's comet is probably the
most famous of the short period comets. It is expected to return to the inner solar system
in 2061. We know this, because comets follow the same laws of physics as other objects
in our solar system.

 A comet falls towards the Sun, accelerating as it descends. Its movement is most rapid
as it passes near the Sun (as predicted by Kepler's second law). Then it moves away
from the Sun, but the Sun's gravity is trying to pull it back. So it slows down as it moves
away. At its maximum distance from the Sun, it is moving most slowly. So Halley's comet
actually spends most of its time far from the Sun out past the orbit of Neptune.

 The most recent appearance of Halley's comet, in 1986, was not ideal for viewing from
Earth. However, a fleet of spacecraft was able to visit the comet. A Soviet
spacecraft, Vega 2, traveled through the comet's coma and returned accurate
information about the position of the nucleus. This allowed the Giotto spacecraft
launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) to navigate within 600 km of the
nucleus.* Moving this close was risky, because dust from the comet could (and did)
damage the spacecraft. However, before the spacecraft was damaged, it was able to
send pictures back to Earth. One picture returned by the Giotto spacecraft showed the
actual core of the comet shrouded in dust.

 Although astronomers know Halley's comet will return sometime in 2060 or 2061 to the
vicinity of Earth, the moment it first becomes visible cannot be predicted accurately. The
orbits of all comets are somewhat unpredictable. This is due in part to the gravitational
forces of the planets that act on them as they pass through the solar system. Also, each
time a comet passes by the Sun, jets of evaporating gas spew out of the surface. These
jets act like rockets and change the orbit of the comet slightly. As a result, no one knows
exactly when Halley's comet will return. So keep your eyes open in 2061. Who knows,
you may be the first person to see its return!

25
Activity 1: CHARACTERISTICS OF COMETS.
Directions: Observe the table below and give comparison among characteristics of comets
and asteroids.

Characteristic Comet Asteroid

Origin Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Main Asteroid Belt
Shape Varied/Irregular Varied/Irregular
Size range of 1-10 (nucleus only) 1 – 100++
diameter (kilometer)
Chemical Composition Ice (frozen water); frozen gases Silicates (olivine and
(ammonia, methane, and pyroxene), iron, nickel
carbon dioxide); other organic
compounds (Carbon-containing
compounds)
Orbit Highly elliptical More rounded
Orbital period (years) 75 to 100,000++ 1 – 100

Question 1: Which is most likely to become a more frequent “visitor” of Earth: a comet or an
asteroid? Why do you think so?

Question 2: What makes the Comet different from Asteroid?

26
Activity 2: COMPOSITION OF COMETS.
Directions: Give the composition of comets according to its definition. Match column A to
Colum B.

Column A Column B
1. It is colorless, odorless gas that occurs
abundantly in nature. It is the simplest
  Ammonia
member of paraffin, series of hydrocarbons
and is among the most potent of the
greenhouse gases.

2. It is a colorless, pungent gas composed of

  Carbon Dioxide
nitrogen and hydrogen. It is the simplest
stable compound of these elements and
serves as a starting material for the
production of many commercially important
nitrogen compounds.

3. It is a colorless, odorless gas produced by 

 Methane
burning carbon and organic compounds and
by respiration. It is naturally present in air
(about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by
plants in photosynthesis.

Question: What is the importance of knowing the chemical composition of comets?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

27
Activity 3: FORMATION OF COMETS.
Directions: Arrange the following according to the sequence of comets‟ formation. Write
numbers 1 – 4 on the space provided.

A. Nucleus gets close to

the Sun and warms up.

B. Straight gas tail and

curved dust tail
emerge as they travel
closer to the Sun.

C. The ice in the nucleus

is warmed by the Sun
and vaporizes causing
coma to form.

D. Comets are from the

dust and gas of
protoplanetary disk.

How is comet formed?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

28
1. Comets distinct parts are:
 Nucleus – is the relatively solid and stable centrally located part, mostly
formed of ice and gas with a small amount of dust and other solids like
hydrocarbons.
 Coma – is a dense atmosphere surrounding nucleus, made of a cloud of
water, carbon dioxide and other neutral gases as well as dust grains.
 Dust tail - is the most prominent part of a comet, it can be up to 10 million
km long, composed of smoke-sized dust particles driven off the nucleus by
escaping gases.
 Ion tail - is composed of plasma and laced with rays and streamers caused
by interactions with the solar wind, which can be as much as several
hundred million km long.

2. The characteristics of comets:

 Origin: Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
 Shape: Varied/Irregular
 Size range of diameter: 1-10 nucleus
 Chemical composition: Ice, frozen gases(ammonia, methane, and carbon
dioxide)
 Orbit: highly elliptical
 Orbital period: 75 to 100,000++.

3. Comets originate far out on the edges of the solar system. They are formed when
Oort Cloud is disturbed by gravitational forces of nearby star. Clumps of material
begin to fall in toward the Sun, years later, few of the objects approach the Sun and
begin to warm up, then swing around the sun and head back out into space. A
comet falls towards the Sun, accelerating as it descends. Its movement is most
rapid as it passes near the Sun (as predicted by Kepler's second law). Then it
moves away from the Sun, but the Sun's gravity is trying to pull it back. So it slows
down as it moves away. At its maximum distance from the Sun, it is moving most
slowly. So Halley's comet actually spends most of its time far from the Sun out past
the orbit of Neptune.

4. The discovery of Comet Halley led to more comet discoveries. The cycle of
appearances is determined. Since astronomers knew the period of Halley's comet,
they were able to determine when it had previously appeared in the inner solar
system and became visible.

29
Directions: Illustrate the comet‟s orbit near the sun.

(Consider the placement of the Earth and Sun)

30
Directions: Read the news article and answer the given questions on the next page. Write
your answer on the space provided.

Newly Discovered Comet is Likely Interstellar Visitor

A newly discovered comet has excited the astronomical community this week
because it appears to have originated from outside the solar system. The
object -- designated C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) -- was discovered on Aug. 30, 2019,
by Gennady Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea. The
official confirmation that comet C/2019 Q4 is an interstellar comet has not yet
been made, but if it is interstellar, it would be only the second such object
detected. The first, 'Oumuamua, was observed and confirmed in October 2017.
After the initial detections of the comet, Scout system, which is located at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, automatically
flagged the object as possibly being interstellar. Davide Farnocchia of NASA's
Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at JPL worked with astronomers and the
European Space Agency's Near-Earth Object Coordination Center in Frascati,
Italy, to obtain additional observations. He then worked with the NASA-
sponsored Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to estimate the
comet's precise trajectory and determine whether it originated within our solar
system or came from elsewhere in the galaxy.

The comet is currently 260 million miles (420 million kilometers) from the Sun
and will reach its closest point, or perihelion, on Dec. 8, 2019, at a distance of
about 190 million miles (300 million kilometers).

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/newly-discovered-comet-is-likely-
interstellar-visitor
S

31
Comprehension Check:
1. What is the article about?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What is the name of the newly discovered comet which excited the astronomical
community?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. Who discovered this comet?

___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

4. Why is the discovered comet not officially confirmed as an interstellar?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

5. How would you react if it was you who discovered a new comet?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

32
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Circle the letter of your choice.

1. Which of the Near Earth Objects (NEO) is an icy, small solar system body that warms
and begins to release gases when passing close to the sun?
A. Asteroid
B. Comet
C. Meteor
D. Meteoroid

2. Why do comets return in its existence on the year expected to?

A. They orbit around the Sun.
B. They pass into the orbit of the Sun over years.
C. They return to the inner solar system again.
D. They follow the same laws of physics as other objects in the solar system.

3. Which is the most famous short-period comet that takes 75-79 years to orbit the
Sun?
A. Comet Encke
B. Comet Halley
C. Hyakutake
D. Shoemaker Levy-9

4. What was the most significant contribution of comets to Early Earth?

A. They tell people what is the condition around the Sun.
B. They describe the surrounding in the atmosphere.
C. They carry the U-Xe to the planet.
D. They potentially bring along water, nitrogen, trace gases, and even organic
carbon to Earth.

5. Which is NOT a characteristic of a comet?

A. It has varied/irregular shape
B. It originates at the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
C. Its orbit is rounded
D. Its size ranges to 1-10 nucleus

33
Lesson Earth and Space: Regular
3 Occurrence of Meteor Shower

I. Directions: Identify what is being referred to in each item. Write your

answer in the box.

1. Balls of ice, rocks and dust

particles in the outer space.

2. Rocky fragments in the outer

space. They are said to be
remnants of an exploded planets.

3. A fragment from meteoroid that

survives and makes it to the
Earth‟s ground.

4. It is found between Mars and

Jupiter where most of the
asteroids are located.

5. It is the most famous comet of the

20th century which is classified as
short-period comet.

II. Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is true and FALSE if not.

_________1. Meteor is a space rock that enters the Earth‟s surface.

_________2. Comets are found in the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt.

_________3. Comets and asteroids orbit around the sun.

_________4. “Falling stars” are stars falling from the skies.

_________5. If you wish in a falling star, it will come true.

34
Directions: Look at the pictures. Analyze what do these pictures refer to.

M __ __ E __ R __ H O __ __ R
1. What is the mystery word?
______________________________________________________________

2. What causes this phenomenon?

______________________________________________________________

3. Will it occur regularly? Why do you say so?

______________________________________________________________

35
 Have you ever seen a shooting star in the night sky? It appears as an object with a
tail just like a comet; it travels quickly and appears to fall on the ground. A shooting star is
another name for a meteor. But the truth is: a meteor is not a star at all. A meteor is a night
phenomenon or a streak of light that occurs when a meteoroid burns up as it enters Earth‟s
atmosphere. They are believed to have ended the Cretaceous period which killed the
dinosaurs.

Q1. What is a meteor?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Meteoroids are small chunks of rocks or metals traveling in outer space which
originated from asteroids or comets orbiting around the sun. The word meteoroid comes
from the Greek word meteoros meaning “high in the air.” Meteoroids contain iron and nickel
similar to the rocks on Earth.

36
 A meteoroid can be as small as a grain of sand or as big as a boulder. When it
enters Earth‟s atmosphere, the air in front of the meteoroid heats up by friction, causing
materials to burn up. A meteoroid that has entered the Earth‟s atmosphere is now called a
meteor. As meteors enter the atmosphere, they undergo a great collision or friction that
melts or vaporizes the rocks or metals, creating a bright streak of light in the skies at night.

A meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere. A meteor is viewed in the sky.

Q2. What is a meteoroid?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Q3. What causes a meteor?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Meteors emit light when friction occurs with the gas particles in the atmosphere.
Different colors of meteors appear due to their chemical composition and the speed at which
they enter the Earth‟s atmosphere. The temperature and the chemical composition that
ignite determine the meteor‟s color.

Table 1. Colors of meteors based on their composition

COLOR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Orange/yellow Sodium
Yellow Iron
Blue/green Magnesium
Violet Calcium
red silicate

37
 A meteor shower is a phenomenon that is caused by streams of meteoroids
entering the Earth‟s atmosphere or formed by the icy and dusty debris stream of a comet
along is orbit as it gets nearer the sun. Streaks of light of meteor showers are usually
developed when Earth intersects a comet‟s path and moves through the stream of debris
and dust emitted by the comet. This happens at a particular place and time of the year,
depending on where the Earth and the stream meet. During a meteor shower, meteors seem
to originate from only one point in the sky because the meteoroids are traveling in parallel
paths with the same velocity. The meteor shower is named after the constellation where they
seem to originate from, but this does not mean that the meteoroids come from the
associated constellation. Remember: a meteor and a meteor shower are light
phenomena; they are not stars.

Meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Meteor shower is viewed in the sky.

Q4. What is a meteor shower?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Q5. Why does a meteor shower occur?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Q6. Why does it seem that meteors during meteor shower appear to come from only one
point in the sky?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

38
 Meteor showers occur when the earth in its orbit around the Sun passes through
debris left over from the disintegration of comets. Although the earth's orbit around the Sun
is almost circular, most comets travel in orbits that are highly elongated ellipses. As a result,
some comets have orbits that intersect or partially overlap the earth's path.

Because a comet's nucleus is made up of a combination of icy materials and loosely

consolidated "dirt," when a comet is heated by passing close to the Sun, it more or less
slowly disintegrates, producing the visible tail. The rocky debris, consisting of mostly sand-
size particles, continues in an elongated orbit around the Sun close to that of its parent
comet. When the earth intersects this orbit in its annual trip, it can run into this debris, which
burns up on entry into the earth's atmosphere, producing a visible shower of meteors.

Meteor showers associated with particular comet orbits occur at about the same time
each year, because it is at those points in the earth's orbit that the collisions occur. However,
because some parts of the comet's path are richer in debris than others, the strength of a
meteor shower may vary from one year to the next. Typically a meteor shower will be
strongest when the earth crosses the comet's path shortly after the parent comet has
passed.

A meteoroid swarm associated

with a given comet intersects
Earth's orbit at specific locations,
giving rise to meteor showers at
specific times of the year. We
imagine that a portion of the
comet breaks up near perihelion,
at the point marked 1. The
fragments continue along the
original comet orbit, gradually
spreading out as they go (points 2
and 3). The rate at which the
debris disperses around the orbit
is actually much slower than
depicted here—it takes many
orbits for the material to spread
out as shown. Eventually, the
fragments extend all around the
orbit, more or less uniformly. If the
orbit happens to intersect Earth's
orbit, a meteor shower is seen
each time Earth passes through
the intersection (point 4).

39
Q7. What causes the regular occurrence of meteor shower?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

A meteoroid usually all burns up when it enters Earth‟s atmosphere. A meteor that is
too large to be stopped completely by the atmosphere may strike the Earth with its cosmic
velocity. It may explode in the air near the ground, causing an air blast or an air-blast forming
craters. But when a fragment from the meteoroid survives and makes it to the ground
without being completely vaporized, this space rock fragment is now called a meteorite.

Hoba Meteorite.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ttarpd/
42832167074/in/photostream/

Q8. What is the difference between a meteoroid and a meteorite?

Meteoroid_________________________________________________

Meteorite__________________________________________________

40
 Meteorites are of importance to scientists in studying the occurrence of
different elements and compounds on Earth. This information is in turn important
in studying our mineral resources which is an important industry in any country.
Generally, there are three types: stony, stony-iron, and iron meteorites. In the
Philippines, there are only five meteorites that have been accepted internationally.
The table below enumerates these meteorites.

41
Activity 1. IDENTIFY EACH.
Directions: Identify what is referred to in each item. Write METEOR, METEOR SHOWER,
METEOROID, METEORITE on the space provided.

_______________1. It is a space fragment that survives and makes it to the ground without
being completely vaporized.

_______________2. Streaks of light which are usually developed when Earth intersects a
comet‟s path and moves through the stream of debris and dust
emitted by the comet.

_______________3. Small chunks of rocks or metals traveling in outer space which

originated from asteroids or comets orbiting around the sun.

_______________4. It is a streak of light that occurs when a meteoroid burns up as it enters

Earth‟s atmosphere.

_______________5. It is also called a shooting star.

_______________6. They are of importance to scientists in studying the occurrence of

different elements and compounds on Earth.

_______________7. During this, meteors seem to originate from only one point in the sky
because the meteoroids are traveling in parallel paths with the same
velocity.

_______________8. It comes from the Greek word meteoros meaning “high in the air.”

_______________9. It is named after the constellation where they seem to originate from.

_______________10. They can create craters on the Earth‟s ground.

42
Activity 2. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
Directions: Label the diagram. Identify where is Meteor, Meteoroid, and Meteorite. Then,
describe the location of each.

Meteoroid-
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Meteor-
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Meteorite-
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

43
Activity 3- EXPLAIN ITS OCCURRENCE.
Directions: Look at the picture closely. Identify what is happening in it and explain briefly its
occurrence.

_______________________________ __________________________________
_______________________________ __________________________________
_______________________________ __________________________________
_______________________________ __________________________________

*meteor shower
*meteor

_______________________________ __________________________________
_______________________________ __________________________________
_______________________________ __________________________________
_______________________________ __________________________________

44
1. Meteoroids are small chunks of rocks or metals traveling in outer space
which originated from asteroids or comets orbiting around the sun. The word
meteoroid comes from the Greek word meteoros meaning “high in the air.”

2. A meteor is a night phenomenon or a streak of light that occurs when a

meteoroid burns up as it enters Earth‟s atmosphere.

3. Meteorite is a fragment from the meteoroid that survives and makes it to the
ground without being completely vaporized.

4. A meteor shower is a phenomenon that is caused by streams of meteoroids

entering the Earth‟s atmosphere or formed by the icy and dusty debris stream
of a comet along is orbit as it gets nearer the sun.

5. Streaks of light of meteor showers are usually developed when Earth

intersects a comet‟s path and moves through the stream of debris and dust
emitted by the comet.

6. Meteor shower happens at a particular place and time of the year, depending on
where the Earth and the stream meet. During a meteor shower, meteors seem to
originate from only one point in the sky because the meteoroids are traveling in
parallel paths with the same velocity.

7. Meteor showers occur when the earth in its orbit around the Sun passes through
debris left over from the disintegration of comets. Although the earth's orbit around
the Sun is almost circular, most comets travel in orbits that are highly elongated
ellipses. As a result, some comets have orbits that intersect or partially overlap the
earth's path.

8. Meteor and meteor shower are light phenomena; they are not stars.

9. There are three types: stony, stony-iron, and iron meteorites

10. Meteorites are of importance to scientists in studying the occurrence of

different elements and compounds on Earth.

45
Directions: Illustrate the Earth that intersects a comet‟s path and moves through the stream
of debris and dust emitted by the comet creating a meteor shower.

46
Directions: Read the news article about meteor shower which can be seen this month.
Answer the questions on the next page. Write your answers on the space provided.

Meteor Shower to Dazzle the Skies this Month

Read the article (AFP Photo/MARTIN BERNETTI / MANILA BULLETIN)

The most spectacular meteor shower of the year is due this month.

The Geminids meteor shower will be active from December 7 to 17, with an
average of 40 meteors per hour during its peak on the night of December 14
until early morning of December 15, PAGASA said.

It can be seen under a dark and cloudless sky and just after midnight of its
peak activity, it pointed out.

What makes this meteor shower extra special is that it does not originate
from a comet unlike other meteor showers, but from an asteroid, the 3200
Phaethon.

PAGASA said that meteors from this shower are very rocky and gritty and
slightly easier to see compared to other showers.
These slow-moving meteors were first observed in 1862, much more
recently than other showers.
It is thought that the showers have been intensifying every year and recent
showers have seen 120-160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions,
generally around 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.
PAGASA said there will be shooting stars that are big enough to be seen by
the naked eye.
Source: https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/12/05/annular-solar-eclipse-meteor-
shower-to-dazzle-the-skies-this-month/

47
Comprehension Check:
1. What is the news about?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What makes this meteor shower extra special?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3. When will this meteor shower be active?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

4. Why do meteor showers occur?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

5. Why do you think showers have been intensifying every year?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

48
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. What do we call a piece of debris from the Solar System when it has reached the
Earth‟s ground?
A. interplanetary dust
B. meteor
C. meteorite
D. meteoroid

2. How do you call the phenomenon or a streak of light that occurs when a meteoroid
burns up as it enters Earth‟s atmosphere?
A. interplanetary dust
B. meteor
C. meteorite
D. meteoroid

3. Why do meteor showers occur?

A. Earth intersects a comet‟s path and moves through the stream of debris and dust
emitted by the comet.
B. Asteroids and comets got lost from their orbit and fell on the Earth‟s atmosphere.
C. There are aliens throwing stones to the Earth‟s atmosphere.
D. Stars are falling from the sky.

4. If the meteor‟s color is violet, what is its chemical composition?

A. Calcium
B. Iron
C. Magnesium
D. Silicate

5. Why do meteor showers associated with particular comet orbits occur at about the
same time each year?
A. Comets are intertwined with Earth‟s orbit.
B. Meteoroids are constantly revolving around the Earth.
C. It is at those points in the earth's orbit that the collisions occur.
D. Most comets travel in orbits that are highly elongated ellipses.

49
Post Assessment:
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate
sheet of paper.

1. When is meteor shower produced?

A. When the earth passes through the asteroid belt
B. When the earth passes the comet‟s orbital path
C. When sporadic meteors are observed
D. Sana All

2. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Only asteroids collide with earth
B. Comets are ball of ice, dust and metal
C. All comets in our solar system have tails
D. Only asteroids can be found in the solar system

3. How do you call the fragments or debris that resulted from the collision of
asteroid or comets?
A. Kuiper belt
B. Oort Belt
C. Meteoroid
D. Meteoroloid

4. What is the bright glow around the “head” of a comet called?

A. Ring
B. Coma
C. Halo
D. Crown

5. What is the name of the famous comet that can be seen from Earth about every
75 years?
A. Comet Hailey
B. Hale Boop
C. Shoemaker-Levy 9
D. Pluto

50
6. What is the scientific name for a “shooting star”?
A. Comet
B. Meteor
C. Asteroid
D. Falling Star

7. What is Asteroid Belt?

A. An area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are
found
B. A belt of rock between the Earth and Jupiter where most asteroid are found.
C. A belt of rocks crossing the Sun, the Jupiter and the Uranus
D. A belt of rocks crossing the Sun, the Mars and Jupiter

8. What is a meteorite?
A. A really dim meteor
B. A really bright meteor
C. A meteoroid or part of meteoroid that lands on Earth
D. A meteoroid that lights up for a long time, usually several seconds

9. What is a comet? It is a/an _______________________.

A. Icy ball of rock that displays a coma, a fuzzy temporary atmosphere, or a tail
when it travels close to the sun.
B. Natural object from small to huge that originates in space and survives the
impact on the earth‟s surface.
C. Class of smaller inner solar system bodies that orbit around the sun.
D. Extraterrestrial being from Mars.

10. What are meteor showers?

A. Dying stars
B. Rocks from space found on earth
C. Glowing debris in the Earth‟s sky
D. An eruption of rocks and dust in the sky.

11. Why are meteors so bright in the sky?

A. They have bright lights.
B. The color gets reflected and you can see it well.
C. The color of the light gets reflected and deflected to see it well.
D. The air friction between the earth‟s atmosphere and the meteoroids create a
lot of heat, which builds up becoming fire and is visible in the night sky.

51
12. Why would global temperature of the earth drop if the Earth was struck by an
asteroid several kilometers in diameter or larger?
A. The resulting cloud would block out sunlight.
B. The impact would move the Earth farther from the Sun
C. The ices in the asteroid would increase the Earth‟s albedo
D. The low temperature of asteroid would chill the oceans

13. When objects strike a surface of a planet, they leave a deep impression on the
surface that is called as ____________.
A. Pothole
B. Canyon
C. Crater
D. Plateau

14. Meteoroids are formed when asteroids collided and is crushed into pieces. Based
on this fact stated, where did the meteoroids originate?
A. Sun
B. Mars
C. Moon
D. Asteroid belt

15. The object seen in the picture is called a(n):

A. An Asteroid that falls down to the Earth

B. A comet with coma and ion tail
C. A meteoroid with dust
D. A meteorite

52
What I Know?
Pre-Assessment
1. C 2. A 3. B 4.D 5. A

6. B 7. B 8. C 9. A 10. C

11. B 12. A 13. C 14. B 15. C

Lesson 1: Asteroids, Comets and Meteors

What’s More What’s In? –Answers may vary

What can I do? – Answers vary
Act.1 – Answers may vary What’s New? Act. 1
Additional Activities –
Assessment 1- 1. D 2. E 3.B 4. A 1. Comet B. Asteroid 3. Meteor
Assessment- 1.A 2.A 3. B 5. C

4. A 5. A Act. 2- 1. Comet 2. Asteroid

3. Meteor

Assessment 2- Answers may vary

Act. 3- Answers vary

Assessment 3- Answers may vary

Lesson 2: Appearance of Comets

What’s In What’s New

1. METEOR 1. ION TAIL
2. COMET 2. COMA
3. ASTEROID 3. NUCLEUS
4. METEOR SHOWER 4. DUST TAIL
Activity 1
Q1. Asteroid, because the Earth is near the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and its orbit is more rounded
causing it to travel faster that comets which orbit is highly elliptical.

Q2. They differ from their composition, as in, what they are made of because asteroids are made up of metals and
rocky material, while comets are made up of ice, dust and rocky material.
Activity 2
1. Methane
2. Ammonia
3. Carbon dioxide
Q1. It is important for us to study more about how life existed on earth.
Activity 3
Criteria: Composition:20%, Creativity: 20%, Neatness:10%
Question (answer may vary)
Additional Activities Assessment
1. The newly discovered comet. 1. B
2. C/2019 Q4 2. D
3. Because it is still inbound toward the sun. 3. B
4. Answer may vary 4. B
5. C

53
Lesson 3- The Regular Occurrence of Meteor Shower

shower of meteors.
producing a visible
earth's atmosphere,
burns up on entry into the
run into this debris, which
in its annual trip, it can
earth intersects this orbit
earth's path. When the
FALSE 5. partially overlap the
FALSE 4. orbits that intersect or
TRUE 3. result, some comets have
elongated ellipses. As a Meteorite 10.
TRUE 2.
in orbits that are highly Meteor shower 9.
TRUE 1.
YES. Most comets travel 3. Meteoroid 8.
II. comet. Meteor shower 7.
dust emitted by the Meteorite 6.
Comet Halley 5. the stream of debris and Meteor 5.
Asteroid Belt 4. path and moves through Meteor 4.
meteorite 3. Earth intersects a comet‟s 2. Meteoroid 3.
asteroid 2. METEOR SHOWER 1. Meteor shower 2.
comets 1. Meteorite 1.
suggested answers.)
I. (Answers may vary. These are just Activity 1

What‟s In What‟s New What‟s more

What‟s More
Activity 2
1. Meteoroid
2. Meteor
3. Meteorite
(These are just suggested
answers.)
Meteoroid- small chunks of
rocks or metals traveling in
outer space which originated
from asteroids or comets
orbiting around the sun
Meteor- a meteoroid that
burns due to friction as it
enters the Earth‟s atmosphere
Meteorite- a fragment from the
meteoroid survives and makes
it to the ground without being
completely vaporized
What‟s More
Activity 3 (Answers may vary. Assessment
(These are just suggested
answers.) 1. C
2. B
1. Meteor Shower- Streaks of 3. A
light are developed when Earth 4. A
intersects a comet‟s path and 5. C
moves through the stream of
debris and dust emitted by the
comet.
2. Meteor- A meteoroid enters
the Earth‟s atmosphere. It
undergoes a great collision or
friction that melts or vaporizes
the rocks or metals, creating a
bright streak of light in the sky.
3. Meteorite- A fragment from the
meteoroid survives and makes
it to the Earth‟s ground without
being completely vaporized.
4. Meteoroids- These are small
chunks of rocks or metals
traveling in outer space which
originated from asteroids or
comets orbiting around the
sun.

Post- Assessment
1. B 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. A 6. B 7. A 8. C 9. A 10. C 11. C 12. A 13. C 14. D 15. A

54
References

Free Online Picture Sources:

 Space- Stars-Comet Astronomy. Retrieved from:

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/space-stars-comet-astronomy-1486556/.
 Meteor. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/vectors/dark-darkness-meteor-night-
2024127/
 Asteroid. Retrieved from:https://pixabay.com/illustrations/meteor-asteroid-space-
disaster-3129573/
 Solar System. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sky-stars-planets-
space-moon-star-3880590/
 Ice. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/photos/stone-glass-colorful-gem-color-6580/
 Metal. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/photos/grid-wire-mesh-stainless-rods-
826831/\
 Meteorite. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/photos/meteorite-grootfontein-
namibia-354645/
 Earth Blue Planet. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/photos/earth-blue-planet-
globe-planet-11009/
 Wet Shower. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/photos/shower-water-wet-
bathroom-stream-653671/
 Meteoroid Rock. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/asteroid-astronomy-
4679027/
 Asteroid Rock. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/asteroids-meteors-
rocks-space-2117790/
 Stone Hoba. Retrieved from: https://pixabay.com/photos/meteorite-stone-hoba-
namibia-700836/

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Online News Article

 Narayanan, Nirmal. 2019 December 10. Risks of Asteroid Strike to earth from Elon
Musk‟s Starlink Project Featured. International Business News. Retrieved from:
https://www.ibtimes.sg/risks-asteroid-strike-earth-elon-musks-starlink-project-feared-
35714
 NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Newly discovered comet is likely interstellar
visitor." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 September 2019.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190912161406.htm

Book Sources

 Campo, Pia C., Chavez, May R. Catalan, Maria Helen D.H., Catris, Leticia V., Ferido,
Marlene B. Fontanilla, Ian Kendrich C., Gutierrez, Jacqueline Rose M., Jusayan,
Shirley R., Mantala, Michael Antony B., Maramag, Cerilina M., Morales, Marie Paz
E., Obille, Eligio Jr. C., Paningbatan, Digna, Pasamonte, Genevieve Faye,
Sebastian, Dulcelina O., Tan, Rolando M., Treyes, Rodolfo S. (2014). Science 8
Learner‟s Module. Department of Education. 1(1).p. 153-159

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 Date Student’s Date Teacher’s
Name of Student
Received Signature Returned Signature

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For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Bureau of Learning Resources (DepEd-BLR)

(Poblacion, Bislig City)

Telefax: (086)-853-2004

Email Address: bislig.city@deped.gov.ph