MEMPHIS JUNIOR SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
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Comets!

Materials
  • Large steel bowl 
  • Large spatula or whisk to stir with 
  • Plastic cups 
  • Water
  • Glucose Powder (glucon-D)
  • Sand
  • Bleach 
  • Garbage bags 
  • Dry Ice 
  • Safety gloves and safety goggles (extremely important)

Note: This experiment MUST be done with the help of a parent or guardian and with proper safety equipment!
​
​
Activity Directions 
  1. Watch the video on comets linked below. 
  2. Test your understanding of comets by playing a fun Quizizz game!
  3. Perform the Make Your Own Comet activity (Note: The video linked below also walks you through the project.)
    1. Put on you safety gloves and goggles. Layer the flat surface you are going to do the experiment on with a garbage bag. 
    2. Using your garbage bags, layer the steel bowl and tuck the excess under the bowl. 
    3. Pour a full cup of water into the layered steel bowl. 
    4. Take about a 1/4th cup of sand and pour it into the water in the bowl. 
    5. Using your spatula or whisk, mix the mixture of sand and water well until the sand is evenly distributed and there aren’t any lumps present in the bottom of the bowl.
    6. Take the same amount of glucose powder as sand and put that into the well mixed mixture of sand and water. 
    7. Mix again until the glucose powder is well distributed. 
    8. Fill your plastic cup 1/8th of the way with bleach and pour that into the mixture and mix.
    9. Being very careful, take 1 cup full of dry ice and put that into the mixture in the bowl and mix well. 
      1. The mixture will bubble and overflow the steel bowl. 
    10. Taking the ends of the garbage bag you tucked under the bowl. Cover the mixture but make sure to leave a small opening for the carbon dioxide gas can escape a little. (Note: This step is very important; if too much gas builds up, the bag can explode.)
    11. Feel the garbage bag to see if the liquid mixture has hardened. Once you can feel the hardened mixture, pull the garbage bag out and unwrap your comet. 
    12. Congratulations! You’ve made your very own comet! 
      1. The sand represents the dirt and rock that makes up a comet. The ice represents the other half of a comet's composition. ​

Quizizz Link: https://quizizz.com/join/quiz/5f641ccb38bb7a001dc490a3/start?studentShare=true 

Suggested Videos: 
Comets Video: https://youtu.be/yB9HHyPpKds
Comets Project: https://youtu.be/UrYgiPHRvtI


Published 9.19.2020

Author: Rupali Venkatesan

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Memphis, TN
    • Science Storytime
    • Science After School
    • Y on the Fly
    • Senior Technology Education Program
    • K-5 Science Challenge
    • MS Science Challenge
    • Girls’ Science Discovery Day
    • Elementary Invitational
  • Museum Partnerships
    • Huntsville, AL
    • Jackson, MS >
      • Science Spectacular
      • Sensational Science
    • St. Louis, MO
    • Little Rock, AR
    • Lexington, KY
  • challenges
    • Little Rock Challenge
    • Huntsville Challenge
    • Memphis Elementary Challenge
    • Memphis Middle School Challenge
  • Calendar
  • Gallery
  • Science at Home
    • Science Projects >
      • Make Your Own Volcano!
      • Make Your Own Potato Clock!
      • Grow Your Own Sugar Crystal!!
      • Dye Your Own Flowers!
      • Dissolving Egg Shells!
      • Make a pH indicator!
      • Pepper and Soap Experiment!
      • Sundial!
      • Coke and Mentos!
      • Carbon Sugar Snake!
      • Extracting Iron from Cereal!​
      • Blowing up Balloons!
      • Leaf Transpiration!
      • Create a Density Column!
      • Make Your Own Compost!
      • Make Your Own Ice Cream!
      • Maka a Lava Lamp!
      • Skittles Science Experiment!
      • Walking Water!
      • Rolling a Can with Electricity!
      • Ice Tray Battery!
      • Imploding Can!
      • Steel Wool in Vinegar!
      • Invisible Ink!
      • Supercooling Water!
      • Picking Up Ice Cubes!
      • Polar Bear Blubber!
      • Fireworks in Water!
      • Cleaning Pennies!
      • Cleaning Pennies - Extended!
    • Astronomy >
      • Constellation Cups
      • Layers of the Earth!
      • Moon Phases Flipbook!
      • Layers of the Atmosphere!
      • Black Holes!
      • Gravity!
      • Eclipses!
      • Nebulae!
      • The Solar System
      • Clouds in a Jar!
      • Mars!
      • Telescopes!
      • Solar Oven!
      • Stars!
      • Comets!
      • Astronauts!
      • Polar Lights!
      • Venus!
    • Anatomy >
      • The Skeletal System
      • The Respiratory System
      • The Digestive System
      • The Circulatory System
      • The Endocrine System
      • The Nervous System
      • The Integumentary System
      • Lung Cancer
      • Lukemia
      • Lymphoma
      • Pancreatic Cancer
      • Renal Cancer
      • Bile Duct Cancer
      • Mitosis and The Cell Cycle