Small Bodies in the Solar System

Celestial body that orbits the sun and is round.

• Dwarf Planet

• Kuiper Belt

• Kuiper Belt Object

• Comet

A region of the solar system that begins just beyond the orbit of Neptune and contains small bodies made mostly of ice.

• Dwarf Planet

• Kuiper Belt

• Kuiper Belt Oject

• Comet

Any of the minor bodies in the Kuiper Belt.

• Dwarf Planet

• Kuiper Belt

• Kuiper Belt Object

• Comet

Small body of ice, rock, and dust that follows a highly elliptical orbit around the sun.

• Dwarf Planet

• Kuiper Belt

• Kuiper Belt Object

• Comet

A spherical region that surrounds the solar system and extends almost halfway to the nearest star.

• Oort Cloud

• Asteroid

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

Small, irregularly shaped, rocky object that orbits the sun

• Oort Cloud

• Asteroid

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

Rocky body that travels through space

• Asteroid

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Meteorite

A bright streak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in the Earth's atmosphere

• Asteroid

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Meteorite

A meteoroid that reaches Earth's surface without burning up

• Asteroid

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Meteorite

What is common to all small bodies in the solar system?​ (a)   ​ (b)   ​ (c)  

• There are up to a trillion
• They have no atmospheres
• They have weak surface gravity
• They are all moons