Rethinking space dust origins
Students will answer questions based on the Science News article "Kuiper belt dust may be sprinkled in our atmosphere."
Educator Guide: Kuiper Belt Dust May Be Sprinkled in Our Atmosphere
Some interplanetary dust particles that end up in Earth’s atmosphere may have started life in the faraway Kuiper Belt (illustrated), a region of icy objects farther from the sun than Neptune.
ESA
About this guide
An estimated 40,000 tons of space dust settle in Earth’s stratosphere every year. Scientists have long thought these particles come from comets and asteroids closer to the sun than to Jupiter. But new research, reported in “Kuiper belt dust may be sprinkled in our atmosphere,” suggests that some of the particles might have a much more distant source. This guide asks students to read and report on the article, to put astronomical scales in context and to think about how scientists study phenomena that are distant in space or time.
This Guide Includes:
Measure the universe
These discussion prompts help students think about the scale of the solar system and universe, and how scientists study phenomena that are hard to reach in space or very distant in time.
Dusty data dive
Students will practice analyzing and graphing data using two data tables from a primary research study about space dust.