Comet’s Tale Word Search Puzzle II - Clues

1. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the band or belt of small objects formed from the solar system’s planetary disk outside the orbit of Neptune, and likely source of short-period comets 2. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the large cloud of dust and rocky planetesimals which form a comet reservoir around the solar system 3. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the point in the path of an object orbiting the sun (such as a comet or the earth) where it is farthest from the sun 4. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) small, rocky body which orbits the sun; these contain very little icy material so do not develop tails 5. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) collection of small, rocky bodies found orbiting the sun, mostly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter 6. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) scientist who uses telescopes to study the planets, sun, stars, galaxies, or universe 7. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) average distance from the earth to the sun: about 150 million kilometers, called “AU” 8. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) C02 is a common gas at room temperature; in comets it is frozen -- like dry ice 9. ( __ __ __ __ ) a hot gas of ions, from the comet’s evaporating ices which glows around the nucleus as the comet approaches the sun 10. ( __ __ __ __ __ ) small (few km), sun-orbiting body made of ices and rocky material that descended from the early solar system 11. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) visible tail of a comet formed by sunlight reflecting from grains of dust released from the comet nucleus and blown off by the solar wind 12. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) sometimes called an oval, this geometric shape has two focus points, or foci 13. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus, which contain most of the planetary mass of our solar system 14. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) a form of carbon which is found in granular form in the interstellar medium and in the Oort Cloud 15. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the thin gas and low density dust which fills the space between the stars 16. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the distance traveled in one year at the speed of light 17. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) comet that travels on a long elliptical path, such that one orbit can take thousands of years

18. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ ) very small bodies of rock or metal that enter the atmosphere and fall toward earth creating luminous tails as they burn 19. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) occurs when the earth encounters a cloud of dust grains and meteors left behind by an orbiting comet; these enter our atmosphere like a “shower” 20. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) a meteor which enters the atmosphere and does not burn-up entirely as it falls to the ground as a rock 21. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) a small chunk of ices mixed with dust grains and rock, which contain all the comet’s mass 22. ( __ __ __ __ __ ) the path of a body that revolves periodically around another body because of gravity 23. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) molecules made up of the most common elements found in living systems: Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Hydrogen 24. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the point in the path of an object orbiting the sun (such as a comet or the earth) where it lies closest to the sun 25. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ ) time required for a body like a comet to go once round its orbit and return to the same spot 26. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) small (few km) chunks of dust, rocks and frozen gases which condensed as the solar nebula cooled 27. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ ) a hot gas of charged particles 28. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) this part of a comet tail glows with its own light and always points straight away from the sun 29. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) a comet whose entire elliptical orbit lies within the solar system, such as Comet Halley 30. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the cloud of gases and dust from which the sun, and eventually the solar system were created 31. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the sun and everything that revolves around it, including the nine planets and their moons, asteroids and comets 32. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) hot gases and magnetic fields that stream rapidly out of the sun in all directions at all times 33. ( __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) the process of changing from a solid directly to a gas, without first melting into a liquid phase

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