Across
- 3. A large ball of ice mixed with rocks and dirt, having a long luminous tail when its orbit passes close to the sun
- 5. The _____ are all the gaseous planets located outside the asteroid belt (don't use a space)
- 7. Large rocks orbiting the sun in space (ranging in size from several feet long to larger than a football field)
- 9. A comet that orbits the sun every 201 years or more is called a _____ comet (use a dash)
- 11. The first NASA spacecraft designed to study a comet
- 13. A particular comet that occurs every 76 years, named after the man who discovered it by studying ancient records
- 14. A _____ occurs when the Earth crosses the orbit of a comet, causing the leftover dust and debris to enter our atmosphere, resulting in a large number of shooting stars (don't use a space)
- 15. A comet that orbits the sun every 200 years is called a _____ comet. (use a dash)
Down
- 1. These are the planets that are found between the sun and the asteroid belt (don't use a space)
- 2. Meteors that have entered the Earth's atmosphere and fallen to the ground without completely burning up
- 4. Dirt and small rocks or pebbles floating in space that become meteors when they enter the Earth's atmosphere
- 6. The space between Mars and Jupiter where millions of asteroids orbit the sun (don't use a space)
- 8. A ball of steam and dust coming from and surrounding a comet
- 10. The center of a comet, made up of ice and a large rock in the interior
- 12. The meteor shower that occurs every August