Tiny pieces of dry ice will shoot out, especially when you crush it and while you add water. Explain that they must stand a safe distance back since dry ice can cause injuries. Once students arrive, explain that you will be making a model of a comet that will show jets coming from the comet model.After crushing, store the dry ice back in your insulated container. Keep the dry ice in a cooler after you have crushed it. You need to have at least 50 percent of your dry ice as a powder, which will make the water freeze and hold your comet together. In either case, use the mallet to break the ice into small bits. A 5-pound block will be almost intact after several hours. You can purchase dry ice in blocks or as inch-size granules. To prep the dry ice, put on thick gloves and place the dry ice in a towel or pillowcase. Crushing the dry ice will take some time and can be done ahead of the demo.CometsĪctually have two tails - a dust tail and an ion (gas) tail. High-speed solar particles (solar wind) can blow the coma dust and gasĪway from the sun, sometimes forming a long, bright tail. Ices to change to gases, so the coma gets larger. A comet warms up as it nears the sunĪnd develops an atmosphere, or coma. Unpredictable orbits) originate in the far-off reaches of the OortĬloud, which is five thousand to 100 thousand AUs from the sun.Įach comet has a small frozen part, called a nucleus, often no larger Neptune from about 30 to 55 astronomical units (an astronomical unit, or AU, is equal to the distance between Earth and the sun-about 93 million miles). Reside in the icy region known as the Kuiper Belt, beyond the orbit of Short-period comets (comets that orbit the sun in less than 200 years) The dust and gases form a tail that stretches away It heats up and spews dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger When a comet's orbit brings it close to the sun, (Optional) "DIY Space: Create a Comet with Dry Ice" video tutorial - download video (mov) ManagementWatch the "DIY Space: Create a Comet with Dry Ice" video tutorial at the top of the page for instructions on creating the comet demo.Ĭomets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust, roughly the Several large plastic garbage bags - 12 gallons or larger, heavy strengthĪbout 2 cups of dirt (clean out twigs and little pebbles)ġ tablespoon or less of dark corn syrup or soda Towel or pillowcase (it will get very dirty) Thick gloves to handle the dry ice (check at online chemistry stores or hardware stores) This activity provides an opportunity for students to make observations, discuss changing states of matter and demonstrate measuring skills. Learn how to build an icy model of a comet, complete with shooting jets.
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