Question 1

The Meteor (Barringer) Crater is located in

Accepted Answer

A)  Australia. 
B)  the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. 
C)  Quebec, Canada. 
D)  Arizona, United States. 
A)  Australia. 
B)  the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. 
C)  Quebec, Canada. 
D)  Arizona, United States.

Question 2

Most of the asteroids of the solar system move around the Sun between the orbits of which planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth and Mars 
B)  Jupiter and Saturn 
C)  Venus and Earth 
D)  Mars and Jupiter 
A)  Earth and Mars 
B)  Jupiter and Saturn 
C)  Venus and Earth 
D)  Mars and Jupiter

Question 3

Why does no major planet orbit the Sun at the location of the asteroid belt?

Accepted Answer

A)  One such object did form there but was destroyed by a collision with an early comet; the asteroid belt is the debris from the collision. 
B)  Jupiter's gravitational pull stirred up the planetesimals, preventing them from coalescing into a single large object. 
C)  In the early solar nebula, the temperature that close to the Sun was too high for rock or iron to condense into solid form. 
D)  Three Earth-sized planets did form there, but they destroyed each other by mutual collisions; the asteroid belt is the debris from these collisions. 
A)  One such object did form there but was destroyed by a collision with an early comet; the asteroid belt is the debris from the collision. 
B)  Jupiter's gravitational pull stirred up the planetesimals, preventing them from coalescing into a single large object. 
C)  In the early solar nebula, the temperature that close to the Sun was too high for rock or iron to condense into solid form. 
D)  Three Earth-sized planets did form there, but they destroyed each other by mutual collisions; the asteroid belt is the debris from these collisions.

Question 4

A stony meteorite would NOT show evidence of which these properties?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbonaceous chondrites 
B)  fusion crust 
C)  former deposits of a short-lived radioactive isotope of aluminum 
D)  Widmanstätten pattern 
A)  carbonaceous chondrites 
B)  fusion crust 
C)  former deposits of a short-lived radioactive isotope of aluminum 
D)  Widmanstätten pattern

Question 5

A meteor shower occurs when

Accepted Answer

A)  the head of a comet hits Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  a meteor disintegrates in Earth's atmosphere. 
C)  Earth passes through the asteroid belt. 
D)  Earth passes through a swarm of dust particles in space. 
A)  the head of a comet hits Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  a meteor disintegrates in Earth's atmosphere. 
C)  Earth passes through the asteroid belt. 
D)  Earth passes through a swarm of dust particles in space.

Question 6

Which of these characteristics has NOT been observed in an asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  regolith 
B)  craters 
C)  satellites 
D)  plate tectonics 
A)  regolith 
B)  craters 
C)  satellites 
D)  plate tectonics

Question 7

The MOST common meteorites to hit Earth are

Accepted Answer

A)  carbonaceous chondrites. 
B)  iron meteorites. 
C)  stony iron meteorites. 
D)  stony meteorites. 
A)  carbonaceous chondrites. 
B)  iron meteorites. 
C)  stony iron meteorites. 
D)  stony meteorites.

Question 8

What is unusual about the asteroid Mathilde, which was studied and photographed by the NEAR spacecraft? See Figure 10-23a in the text.

Accepted Answer

A)  Mathilde is not much denser than water. 
B)  Almost no craters are visible anywhere on Mathilde's surface. 
C)  Mathilde's surface is very bright, possibly a result of fresh material thrown out by impacts. 
D)  Mathilde has a much higher mass for its volume than any other known asteroid. 
A)  Mathilde is not much denser than water. 
B)  Almost no craters are visible anywhere on Mathilde's surface. 
C)  Mathilde's surface is very bright, possibly a result of fresh material thrown out by impacts. 
D)  Mathilde has a much higher mass for its volume than any other known asteroid.

Question 9

Why is the star Zeta Leporis, in Lepus the Hare, an object of particular interest?

Accepted Answer

A)  Zeta Leporis is still in the nebular stage; it is only a few hundred million years old. 
B)  Zeta Leporis appears to have an Earthlike planet. 
C)  Zeta Leporis is believed to have passed near the Sun early in the history of the solar system, causing gravitational disruptions that affect the orbits of the asteroids. 
D)  Zeta Leporis appears to have an asteroid belt of its own. 
A)  Zeta Leporis is still in the nebular stage; it is only a few hundred million years old. 
B)  Zeta Leporis appears to have an Earthlike planet. 
C)  Zeta Leporis is believed to have passed near the Sun early in the history of the solar system, causing gravitational disruptions that affect the orbits of the asteroids. 
D)  Zeta Leporis appears to have an asteroid belt of its own.

Question 10

Who was the first person to discover an asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  German astronomer Johann Bode 
B)  English astronomer Sir William Herschel 
C)  German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss 
D)  Italian astronomer Guiseppe Piazzi 
A)  German astronomer Johann Bode 
B)  English astronomer Sir William Herschel 
C)  German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss 
D)  Italian astronomer Guiseppe Piazzi

Question 11

The estimated impact energy of the object that produced the Meteor Crater in Arizona, in terms of explosive power (tons of TNT equivalent, a somewhat dubious and frightening scale!), is

Accepted Answer

A)  greater than 1000 megatons. 
B)  about 1 megaton. 
C)  about 20 megatons, similar to the most powerful hydrogen bombs. 
D)  similar to the first nuclear weapons-less than 10 kilotons. 
A)  greater than 1000 megatons. 
B)  about 1 megaton. 
C)  about 20 megatons, similar to the most powerful hydrogen bombs. 
D)  similar to the first nuclear weapons-less than 10 kilotons.

Question 12

Which of these solar system objects has the greatest orbital inclination (orbit at the greatest angle to that of Earth's orbit around the Sun)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury 
B)  Mars 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Pluto 
A)  Mercury 
B)  Mars 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Pluto

Question 13

A comet's tail always

Accepted Answer

A)  points toward the nearest planet, attracted by the planet's gravity field as the comet passes by the planet. 
B)  trails behind the comet in its orbit and so points away from the Sun only while the comet is approaching the Sun. 
C)  points away from the Sun, regardless of the motion of the comet. 
D)  points toward the Sun because the tail is caused by jets of gases evaporated from the comet's nucleus on the side heated by the Sun. 
A)  points toward the nearest planet, attracted by the planet's gravity field as the comet passes by the planet. 
B)  trails behind the comet in its orbit and so points away from the Sun only while the comet is approaching the Sun. 
C)  points away from the Sun, regardless of the motion of the comet. 
D)  points toward the Sun because the tail is caused by jets of gases evaporated from the comet's nucleus on the side heated by the Sun.

Question 14

The asteroid belt has a gap where few objects are found because of repeated gravitational disturbances from Jupiter. At what distance from the Sun will this gap be found if objects in the gap have a period one-third that of Jupiter? (Hint: Jupiter's orbital period is about 12 years.)

Accepted Answer

A)  8 au 
B)  3.5 au 
C)  2.5 au 
D)  1.4 au 
A)  8 au 
B)  3.5 au 
C)  2.5 au 
D)  1.4 au

Question 15

How do scientists determine the fraction of all meteorite impacts that are stony meteorites?

Accepted Answer

A)  by traveling immediately to the sites of impacts 
B)  by counting accumulated debris in Antarctica 
C)  by taking spectra of nearby asteroids 
D)  by inventorying museum collections 
A)  by traveling immediately to the sites of impacts 
B)  by counting accumulated debris in Antarctica 
C)  by taking spectra of nearby asteroids 
D)  by inventorying museum collections

Question 16

Where do the Trojan asteroids orbit the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  in nearly circular orbits at the same orbital distance as Jupiter 
B)  in nearly circular orbits at the same orbital distance as Earth 
C)  in the asteroid belt 
D)  in elliptical orbits that cross the orbit of Earth 
A)  in nearly circular orbits at the same orbital distance as Jupiter 
B)  in nearly circular orbits at the same orbital distance as Earth 
C)  in the asteroid belt 
D)  in elliptical orbits that cross the orbit of Earth

Question 17

What is the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto called?

Accepted Answer

A)  Chiron 
B)  Callisto 
C)  Charon 
D)  Triton 
A)  Chiron 
B)  Callisto 
C)  Charon 
D)  Triton

Question 18

One significant feature of the Lagrange points produced by the Sun and Jupiter is that

Accepted Answer

A)  they are regions of reduced gravitational force in the asteroid belt from which asteroids can escape, producing the gaps within the belt. 
B)  gravitational forces combine to trap asteroids at these points. 
C)  gravitational forces combine to enhance the overall force on particles passing through them, accelerating them out of the solar system. 
D)  they are points of maximum gravitational force near Jupiter, where the major moons Io and Europa are held. 
A)  they are regions of reduced gravitational force in the asteroid belt from which asteroids can escape, producing the gaps within the belt. 
B)  gravitational forces combine to trap asteroids at these points. 
C)  gravitational forces combine to enhance the overall force on particles passing through them, accelerating them out of the solar system. 
D)  they are points of maximum gravitational force near Jupiter, where the major moons Io and Europa are held.

Question 19

Which is the only spacecraft known to have landed on the surface of an asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cassini 
B)  Viking 
C)  NEAR Shoemaker 
D)  the Soviet Venera 8 spacecraft 
A)  Cassini 
B)  Viking 
C)  NEAR Shoemaker 
D)  the Soviet Venera 8 spacecraft

Question 20

What effect does Jupiter have on asteroids in the asteroid belt at the present day?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter has no effect whatever on such small objects because they are a long way away from Jupiter, and Jupiter's gravitational influence varies as the inverse square of distance, by Newton's law. 
B)  Jupiter perturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital periods are a simple fraction of its orbital period. 
C)  Jupiter disturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital distances (or semimajor axes) are a simple fraction of the radius of Jupiter's orbit. 
D)  Jupiter disturbs the orbits of all the asteroids in the belt, slowing them down and causing them to spiral slowly in toward the Sun. 
A)  Jupiter has no effect whatever on such small objects because they are a long way away from Jupiter, and Jupiter's gravitational influence varies as the inverse square of distance, by Newton's law. 
B)  Jupiter perturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital periods are a simple fraction of its orbital period. 
C)  Jupiter disturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital distances (or semimajor axes) are a simple fraction of the radius of Jupiter's orbit. 
D)  Jupiter disturbs the orbits of all the asteroids in the belt, slowing them down and causing them to spiral slowly in toward the Sun.

The Meteor (Barringer) Crater is located in

Most of the asteroids of the solar system move around the Sun between the orbits of which planets?

Why does no major planet orbit the Sun at the location of the asteroid belt?

A stony meteorite would NOT show evidence of which these properties?

A meteor shower occurs when

Which of these characteristics has NOT been observed in an asteroid?

The MOST common meteorites to hit Earth are

What is unusual about the asteroid Mathilde, which was studied and photographed by the NEAR spacecraft? See Figure 10-23a in the text.

Why is the star Zeta Leporis, in Lepus the Hare, an object of particular interest?

Who was the first person to discover an asteroid?

The estimated impact energy of the object that produced the Meteor Crater in Arizona, in terms of explosive power (tons of TNT equivalent, a somewhat dubious and frightening scale!), is

Which of these solar system objects has the greatest orbital inclination (orbit at the greatest angle to that of Earth's orbit around the Sun)?

A comet's tail always

The asteroid belt has a gap where few objects are found because of repeated gravitational disturbances from Jupiter. At what distance from the Sun will this gap be found if objects in the gap have a period one-third that of Jupiter? (Hint: Jupiter's orbital period is about 12 years.)

How do scientists determine the fraction of all meteorite impacts that are stony meteorites?

Where do the Trojan asteroids orbit the Sun?

What is the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto called?

One significant feature of the Lagrange points produced by the Sun and Jupiter is that

Which is the only spacecraft known to have landed on the surface of an asteroid?

What effect does Jupiter have on asteroids in the asteroid belt at the present day?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Other Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Planets

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 10: Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Meteor (Barringer) Crater is located in

Most of the asteroids of the solar system move around the Sun between the orbits of which planets?

Why does no major planet orbit the Sun at the location of the asteroid belt?

A stony meteorite would NOT show evidence of which these properties?

A meteor shower occurs when

Which of these characteristics has NOT been observed in an asteroid?

The MOST common meteorites to hit Earth are

What is unusual about the asteroid Mathilde, which was studied and photographed by the NEAR spacecraft? See Figure 10-23a in the text.

Why is the star Zeta Leporis, in Lepus the Hare, an object of particular interest?

Who was the first person to discover an asteroid?

The estimated impact energy of the object that produced the Meteor Crater in Arizona, in terms of explosive power (tons of TNT equivalent, a somewhat dubious and frightening scale!), is

Which of these solar system objects has the greatest orbital inclination (orbit at the greatest angle to that of Earth's orbit around the Sun)?

A comet's tail always

The asteroid belt has a gap where few objects are found because of repeated gravitational disturbances from Jupiter. At what distance from the Sun will this gap be found if objects in the gap have a period one-third that of Jupiter? (Hint: Jupiter's orbital period is about 12 years.)

How do scientists determine the fraction of all meteorite impacts that are stony meteorites?

Where do the Trojan asteroids orbit the Sun?

What is the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto called?

One significant feature of the Lagrange points produced by the Sun and Jupiter is that

Which is the only spacecraft known to have landed on the surface of an asteroid?

What effect does Jupiter have on asteroids in the asteroid belt at the present day?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Other Terrestrial Planets

The Outer Planets

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters