Make models of asteroids with clay and paint .
Keywords
• Asteroids
• Planet formation
Materials
• Clay
• Brushes
• Paint
Learning Objectives Learn about the characteristics and location of asteroids , and how planets and asteroids form .
Background Science
Asteroids are boulders orbiting the Sun , with sizes ranging between some hundred metres and several kilometres .
Credit : NASA / JAXA / Arecibo / NSF / ESA
An asteroid is called a meteorite if it hits the Earth . If it completely evaporates in the Earth ’ s atmosphere before crashing on the surface , it ’ s called a meteor . People usually refer to meteors as ‘ shooting stars ’. Most meteorites are predominantly composed of silicates or a mixture of iron and nickel . In the past , some huge meteorites have struck the Earth . Sixty-five million years ago , almost 90 % of animal species were eradicated ( among them the dinosaurs ) when a meteorite hit Yucatan , Mexico . Luckily , this happens very rarely ! We owe this to Jupiter , which attracts many asteroids with its gravitational pull .