17

Given an image or animation of a body in space, the learner identifies it as a comet when (and only when) it is a frozen body of ice, dust, and rock that orbits the Sun (visible tail near the Sun; no tail when far from the Sun).

grade level
5
frames
16
  1. 01What is a comet made of?
  2. 02Why does this comet have a visible tail?
  3. 03What kind of space object are we looking at?
  4. 04Is this dark object a comet?
  5. 05Which statement best describes this object?
  6. 06What is this object?
  7. 07Why is Vesta considered an asteroid and not a comet?
  8. 08What kind of object is Mars?
  9. 09Based on its glowing tail, what is this object?
  10. 10What is this rocky object?
  11. 11What kind of object is this?
  12. 12What is this object?
  13. 13What is this dark, icy object?
  14. 14What is this massive spherical object?
  15. 15What is this spectacular object?
  16. 16Identify this space object.

Here is another comet, called Comet NEOWISE. It also has a visible tail, though it looks a bit different from Halley's. It is still a frozen body of ice and dust orbiting the Sun, and it is currently being warmed by the Sun's rays to produce the tail you see here.

This is a photograph of Comet NEOWISE in the night sky. You can see the comet has a glowing core and a distinct, curved tail spreading upward against a starry background, illuminated by the Sun's heat.
This is a photograph of Comet NEOWISE in the night sky. You can see the comet has a glowing core and a distinct, curved tail spreading upward against a starry background, illuminated by the Sun's heat.

Prompt

What kind of space object are we looking at?