243 Ida

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/243-ida

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered 243 Ida?September 29, 1884
2. What is the scientific classification?S-type asteroid, Koronis family
3. What is the orbital period?4.84 Earth years
4. Why is 243 Ida important?The 1993 flyby by the Galileo spacecraft showed that Ida is made of silicate rocks and is the source of ordinary chondrite meteorites that fall to Earth. This helped scientists understand how meteorites come from asteroids.
5. How big is Ida's moon Dactyl?Dactyl is very small, only about 1.4 kilometers (0.87 miles) across—just a tiny speck next to the much larger Ida.

Koronis family: A group of asteroids in the main belt believed to have originated from a single parent body.
S-type asteroid: A stony asteroid, typically found in the inner asteroid belt, composed of silicate minerals and nickel-iron.
Ordinary chondrite meteorites: The most common type of stony meteorite, believed to originate from S-type asteroids.