Identify the smaller bodies in the solar system: natural satellites, asteroids, and comets.
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Hook on Chandrayaan missions.
Explanation of moons as natural satellites.
In space, any object that continuously moves around a much larger object is called a satellite.
While humans launch artificial satellites for communication, nature has its own! Moons are natural satellites that revolve around planets. Our Earth has just one Moon, Mars has two, and the giant outer planets like Jupiter and Saturn have dozens.
Visual of Moon craters.
Craters form when rocks from space forcefully strike the Moon's unprotected surface.
Question on the Moon's surface.
Why do the craters on the Moon's surface remain unchanged for millions of years?
Mid-page checkpoint.
Explanation of asteroids and comets.
Not everything in the Solar System is large and spherical. Asteroids are small, rocky objects with irregular shapes.
Most of these rocky bodies revolve around the Sun in a massive pathway lying between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This region is famously called the asteroid belt. Their sizes can range from a tiny 10 meters across to a massive 500 kilometers!
Visual comparison of an asteroid and a comet.
Asteroids are solid chunks of rock, while comets contain ice that vaporizes near the Sun to form a tail.