Question

What do comets and asteroids have in common? Check all that apply.

Answer 1

Answer:

- They are orbiting the Sun

- They are small compared to the planets

Explanation:

- Comets are small bodies made of rock and ice that have a highly elliptical orbit, and that warm when they pass close to the Sun, releasing gas due to the sublimation of the ice, producing a characteristic "tail" that can extend even for hundreds of kilometers. They are generally located outside the Solar System, in the Oort cloud.

- Asteroids are irregular bodies whose size range from a few km to even a few hundreds of km, that orbit the Sun in an area of the Solar System located between Mars and Jupiter, called "Asteroid belt". They are made mainly of rock and metal debris

So now we  can analyze the statements given:

- They are made of ice: FALSE, because this is only valid for comets

- They are orbiting the Sun: TRUE for both  comets and asteroids

- They are made of metal debris: FALSE, this is only valid for asteroids

- They are small compared to the planets: TRUE for both (the biggest asteroid, Ceres, has a radius of approx 500 km, much smaller than the smallest planet, Mercury)

- They are at the center of the solar system: FALSE for both

Answer 2

1 X

2 Yes

3 X

4 Yes

5 X

Hope this helped!