Question 1

When a comet comes close to the Sun, its volatile ice sublimates and transforms directly from the solid to ________ phase.

Accepted Answer

A)  liquid 
B)  crystalline 
C)  energized 
D)  gas 
E)  condensate 
A)  liquid 
B)  crystalline 
C)  energized 
D)  gas 
E)  condensate

Question 2

Comet Halley is unique because

Accepted Answer

A)  it was the first comet whose return was predicted. 
B)  it is a member of the Jovian family but has a retrograde orbit. 
C)  its period is less than a human lifetime. 
D)  it was successfully visited by a spacecraft. 
E)  it was the brightest comet ever observed by humans. 
A)  it was the first comet whose return was predicted. 
B)  it is a member of the Jovian family but has a retrograde orbit. 
C)  its period is less than a human lifetime. 
D)  it was successfully visited by a spacecraft. 
E)  it was the brightest comet ever observed by humans.

Question 3

What is the best way to look for comet and asteroid dust in the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

These dust particles are called zodiacal

Question 4

The strength of a meteor shower (that is, the number of visible meteors per hour) strongly depends on

Accepted Answer

A)  the current season at the viewer's location. 
B)  Earth's velocity. 
C)  Earth's proximity to the object that generates the debris. 
D)  the thickness of Earth's ozone layer. 
E)  the Sun's magnetic activity. 
A)  the current season at the viewer's location. 
B)  Earth's velocity. 
C)  Earth's proximity to the object that generates the debris. 
D)  the thickness of Earth's ozone layer. 
E)  the Sun's magnetic activity.

Question 5

The figure below shows the Sun and the head of a comet, along with that comet's orbit.If the comet is moving away from the Sun, draw and label the two tails on the comet.

Accepted Answer

Both tails should be pointing

Question 6

Pluto has an atmosphere that comes and goes over an orbital period, because

Accepted Answer

A)  the atmosphere escapes into space because of the low escape velocity from Pluto. 
B)  the atmosphere is pulled away from the planet by interaction with its moon Charon. 
C)  the atmosphere "freezes out" when Pluto is at its farthest from the Sun. 
D)  chemical reactions between Pluto's atmosphere and gas expelled by its many volcanoes generate carbon dioxide, which is too heavy to stay aloft in the atmosphere. 
E)  it is replenished by comet impacts at the far point of its orbit, and dissipates at the near point due to heat from the Sun. 
A)  the atmosphere escapes into space because of the low escape velocity from Pluto. 
B)  the atmosphere is pulled away from the planet by interaction with its moon Charon. 
C)  the atmosphere "freezes out" when Pluto is at its farthest from the Sun. 
D)  chemical reactions between Pluto's atmosphere and gas expelled by its many volcanoes generate carbon dioxide, which is too heavy to stay aloft in the atmosphere. 
E)  it is replenished by comet impacts at the far point of its orbit, and dissipates at the near point due to heat from the Sun.

Question 7

Which group of meteorites represents the conditions in the earliest stages of the formation of the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbonaceous chondrites 
B)  achondrites 
C)  icy meteorites 
D)  iron meteorites 
E)  stony-iron meteorites 
A)  carbonaceous chondrites 
B)  achondrites 
C)  icy meteorites 
D)  iron meteorites 
E)  stony-iron meteorites

Question 8

Identify the object shown in the figure below.

Accepted Answer

A)  a meteor 
B)  a chondrite meteorite 
C)  an achondrite meteorite 
D)  an iron meteorite 
E)  an asteroid 
A)  a meteor 
B)  a chondrite meteorite 
C)  an achondrite meteorite 
D)  an iron meteorite 
E)  an asteroid

Question 9

The majority of asteroids are primarily composed of

Accepted Answer

A)  hydrogen and helium. 
B)  ice and dust. 
C)  rock. 
D)  iron. 
E)  methane. 
A)  hydrogen and helium. 
B)  ice and dust. 
C)  rock. 
D)  iron. 
E)  methane.

Question 10

Describe two modern-day (within the past 150 years) events when comets or asteroids collided with a planet.Cite the planet, and describe the major consequences of the collision.

Accepted Answer

Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter's

Question 11

A planetesimal having an orbit of only 300 years would likely have come from the

Accepted Answer

A)  Atens family. 
B)  Oort Cloud. 
C)  Trojan family. 
D)  zodiacal zone. 
E)  Kuiper Belt. 
A)  Atens family. 
B)  Oort Cloud. 
C)  Trojan family. 
D)  zodiacal zone. 
E)  Kuiper Belt.

Question 12

European Space Agency spacecraft Rosetta orbited Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, finding which of the following compounds in the comet's dust?

Accepted Answer

A)  glycine 
B)  ethanol 
C)  complex carbons 
D)  all of these 
E)  none of these 
A)  glycine 
B)  ethanol 
C)  complex carbons 
D)  all of these 
E)  none of these

Question 13

Which group of asteroids regularly crosses Earth's orbit and thus might possibly collide with our planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Amors 
B)  the Atens 
C)  the Kuiper Belt objects 
D)  the Trojans 
E)  all of these 
A)  the Amors 
B)  the Atens 
C)  the Kuiper Belt objects 
D)  the Trojans 
E)  all of these

Question 14

The meteorite in the figure below most likely originated in a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  S-type asteroid. 
B)  C-type asteroid. 
C)  M-type asteroid. 
D)  active comet. 
E)  inactive comet. 
A)  S-type asteroid. 
B)  C-type asteroid. 
C)  M-type asteroid. 
D)  active comet. 
E)  inactive comet.

Question 15

Which type of meteorite is most commonly found on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  metallic 
B)  stony 
C)  glassy 
D)  They are all equally common. 
E)  Meteorites are not found on Earth's surface. 
A)  metallic 
B)  stony 
C)  glassy 
D)  They are all equally common. 
E)  Meteorites are not found on Earth's surface.

Question 16

Identify the object shown in the figure below.

Accepted Answer

A)  an active comet 
B)  a meteor shower 
C)  a meteorite 
D)  an asteroid 
E)  zodiacal dust 
A)  an active comet 
B)  a meteor shower 
C)  a meteorite 
D)  an asteroid 
E)  zodiacal dust

Question 17

Most asteroids are closest in shape to

Accepted Answer

A)  a potato. 
B)  a banana. 
C)  a hot dog. 
D)  a stick. 
E)  a baseball. 
A)  a potato. 
B)  a banana. 
C)  a hot dog. 
D)  a stick. 
E)  a baseball.

Question 18

Explain the difference between C-type asteroids and S-type asteroids.

Accepted Answer

A C-type asteroid is typically nonreflec

Question 19

Meteor showers appear as if they are coming from one particular place in the sky because

Accepted Answer

A)  that is the direction from which the comet is coming toward us. 
B)  that is the direction in which the comet is moving away from us. 
C)  that is the direction toward which Earth is traveling. 
D)  that is the direction Earth just passed. 
E)  our eyes can only see the meteors that are being illuminated by the Sun. 
A)  that is the direction from which the comet is coming toward us. 
B)  that is the direction in which the comet is moving away from us. 
C)  that is the direction toward which Earth is traveling. 
D)  that is the direction Earth just passed. 
E)  our eyes can only see the meteors that are being illuminated by the Sun.

Question 20

Cratering evidence throughout the Solar System indicates that the frequency of asteroid impact is inversely proportional to the cube of the diameter of the asteroid (that is, 1/D3).The 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor was around 20 meters in diameter and impacts of this size are expected once every 60 years, on average.If the Tunguska impact was a meteor around 100 meters in diameter, what is the expected average time between impacts of that size?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 every 220,000 years 
B)  1 every 7,500 years 
C)  1 every 1,200 years 
D)  1 every 180 years 
E)  1 every 0.5 year (2 a year) 
A)  1 every 220,000 years 
B)  1 every 7,500 years 
C)  1 every 1,200 years 
D)  1 every 180 years 
E)  1 every 0.5 year (2 a year)

Exam 12: Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

When a comet comes close to the Sun, its volatile ice sublimates and transforms directly from the solid to ________ phase.

Comet Halley is unique because

What is the best way to look for comet and asteroid dust in the Solar System?

The strength of a meteor shower (that is, the number of visible meteors per hour) strongly depends on

The figure below shows the Sun and the head of a comet, along with that comet's orbit.If the comet is moving away from the Sun, draw and label the two tails on the comet.

Pluto has an atmosphere that comes and goes over an orbital period, because

Which group of meteorites represents the conditions in the earliest stages of the formation of the Solar System?

Identify the object shown in the figure below.

The majority of asteroids are primarily composed of

Describe two modern-day (within the past 150 years) events when comets or asteroids collided with a planet.Cite the planet, and describe the major consequences of the collision.

A planetesimal having an orbit of only 300 years would likely have come from the

European Space Agency spacecraft Rosetta orbited Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, finding which of the following compounds in the comet's dust?

Which group of asteroids regularly crosses Earth's orbit and thus might possibly collide with our planet?

The meteorite in the figure below most likely originated in a(n)

Which type of meteorite is most commonly found on Earth?

Identify the object shown in the figure below.

Most asteroids are closest in shape to

Explain the difference between C-type asteroids and S-type asteroids.

Meteor showers appear as if they are coming from one particular place in the sky because

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Formation of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Planetary Moons and Rings

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Expanding Universe

Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters