---
title: "Asteroids, Comets and Meteors"
description: "Identify other objects in the solar system beyond planets: asteroids (rocky bodies mostly between Mars and Jupiter), comets (icy bodies with tails when near the Sun), and meteoroids/meteors/meteorites"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/asteroids-comets-and-meteors-mt_uoTBeyMhGm
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/asteroids-comets-and-meteors-mt_uoTBeyMhGm.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Asteroids, Comets and Meteors

Identify other objects in the solar system beyond planets: asteroids (rocky bodies mostly between Mars and Jupiter), comets (icy bodies with tails when near the Sun), and meteoroids/meteors/meteorites (space rocks that enter Earth’s atmosphere)

Subject: Science · Area: Space Exploration · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/asteroids-comets-and-meteors-mt_uoTBeyMhGm

## Ready when they can

- Describe asteroids as rocky bodies mostly found in the belt between Mars and Jupiter
- Describe comets as icy bodies that develop a glowing tail when they approach the Sun
- Explain the difference between a meteoroid (in space), meteor (streak of light in atmosphere), and meteorite (lands on Earth)

## Lesson: Asteroids, Comets, and Shooting Stars

You already know the eight planets orbit the Sun. Space also has smaller objects called asteroids. Asteroids are chunks of rock and metal. Most of them travel in a wide belt between Mars and Jupiter.

*(drawing: Watch the name change: meteoroid while it is in space, meteor as it streaks through the air, meteorite once it lands on the ground.)*

**Example.** One night, Alex sees a quick streak of light zoom across the sky. That is a meteor, a tiny space rock burning up as it rushes through our air. If a piece survives and lands, it becomes a meteorite.

**Tip.** Comets are different from asteroids. A comet is made of ice, dust, and frozen gas, like a dirty snowball. When it gets close to the Sun, the heat turns some of that ice into gas and dust, which stream out and form a long glowing tail.

**Recap.** Asteroids are rocky bodies mostly between Mars and Jupiter, comets are icy bodies that grow a tail near the Sun, and a shooting star is really a meteor, a space rock burning up in the sky.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [The Eight Planets](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-eight-planets-mt_AVk2EmSULC)