Exam 10: Vagabonds of the Solar System

The number of times a typical comet can pass close to the Sun (i.e., the number of orbits the comet can complete) before it is completely vaporized or destroyed is about

To what does the term "plutino" refer?

In 2013 a large meteoroid did considerable damage to the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia. Most of the damage was caused by

The orbits of comets are

What is the difference between an Apollo asteroid and an Amor asteroid?

Jupiter's orbital period is approximately 12 years. If it were exactly 12 years, which of these periods would NOT produce an effective resonance with Jupiter?

What technique allowed scientists to determine accurately, for the first time, the relative sizes of Pluto and Charon?

The Kirkwood gaps are caused by

The Chicxulub Crater, believed by many scientists to have been created by the impact that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, is

According to the Dawn flyby of asteroid Vesta, which of these is NOT a characteristic of Vesta?

The asteroid belt is believed by most astronomers to be composed of

In a single photograph of a comet and its tail, the only direction that one can determine with certainty is the direction

What is the average distance between asteroids?

As of 2019, which of these has NOT been accomplished by planetary scientists studying asteroids?

The estimated total infall of meteoritic and extraterrestrial material from space per day on Earth is

The number of asteroids with diameters greater than 100 km is

When investigators reached the site of the 1908 Tunguska event, which of these did they NOT find?

Unlike the other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt, Makemake has no moons. Is this important?

Haumea is classified as a dwarf planet even though its shape resembles a watermelon. Why is it so distorted?

What is the diameter of Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system, compared with the diameter of Earth, which is about 12,800 km?