Question 1

Iron meteorites are fragments of which type of asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  A-type 
B)  C-type 
C)  M-type 
D)  Q-type 
E)  S-type 
A)  A-type 
B)  C-type 
C)  M-type 
D)  Q-type 
E)  S-type

Question 2

When combined, asteroids in the asteroid belt have a mass equivalent to

Accepted Answer

A)  about 1/10 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
B)  about equal to the mass of Earth's Moon. 
C)  about 1/2 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
D)  about 1/25 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
E)  about 1/1,000 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
A)  about 1/10 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
B)  about equal to the mass of Earth's Moon. 
C)  about 1/2 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
D)  about 1/25 the mass of Earth's Moon. 
E)  about 1/1,000 the mass of Earth's Moon.

Question 3

List two main differences between the orbital properties of the dwarf planet Pluto and those of planets in our Solar System.

Accepted Answer

(1)Pluto's orbital plane is tilted signi

Question 4

Identify the phenomenon 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 5

The darkest asteroids are

Accepted Answer

A)  M-type. 
B)  S-type. 
C)  C-type. 
D)  A-type. 
E)  Q-type. 
A)  M-type. 
B)  S-type. 
C)  C-type. 
D)  A-type. 
E)  Q-type.

Question 6

A large meteor shower will often occur once a year because

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth typically has one large volcanic eruption every year. 
B)  Earth's orbit passes through the Apollo asteroid belt. 
C)  the Sun goes through a yearly solar cycle. 
D)  Jupiter routinely disturbs the orbits of asteroids in the Jovian belt. 
E)  Earth's orbit passes through the debris left behind by a specific comet. 
A)  Earth typically has one large volcanic eruption every year. 
B)  Earth's orbit passes through the Apollo asteroid belt. 
C)  the Sun goes through a yearly solar cycle. 
D)  Jupiter routinely disturbs the orbits of asteroids in the Jovian belt. 
E)  Earth's orbit passes through the debris left behind by a specific comet.

Question 7

Describe at least two things scientists have learned by sending spacecraft to comets, and why these could not be learned from ground-based observations.

Accepted Answer

Comets are too small to see much detail

Question 8

With a semimajor axis of 18 AU, Comet Halley has a period of

Accepted Answer

A)  7 years. 
B)  16 years. 
C)  32 years. 
D)  67 years. 
E)  76 years. 
A)  7 years. 
B)  16 years. 
C)  32 years. 
D)  67 years. 
E)  76 years.

Question 9

What implication does the composition of cometary nuclei have for the creation of life?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are made entirely of liquid water, which is needed by all life. 
B)  They hold organic compounds, evidence that the ingredients necessary for the creation of life were present in the early solar nebula. 
C)  Bacteria have been found in cometary nuclei, proving that life on Earth came from comets. 
D)  They hold oxygen, which is needed for all life. 
E)  Cometary impacts would have been "softer" than asteroid impacts, helping to prevent mass extinctions. 
A)  They are made entirely of liquid water, which is needed by all life. 
B)  They hold organic compounds, evidence that the ingredients necessary for the creation of life were present in the early solar nebula. 
C)  Bacteria have been found in cometary nuclei, proving that life on Earth came from comets. 
D)  They hold oxygen, which is needed for all life. 
E)  Cometary impacts would have been "softer" than asteroid impacts, helping to prevent mass extinctions.

Question 10

The Perseid meteor shower will occur

Accepted Answer

A)  every month. 
B)  every year. 
C)  every 4 years. 
D)  every 76 years. 
E)  every 132 years. 
A)  every month. 
B)  every year. 
C)  every 4 years. 
D)  every 76 years. 
E)  every 132 years.

Question 11

The "S" in "S-type" asteroid stands for

Accepted Answer

A)  sapphire 
B)  stony. 
C)  sulfur. 
D)  high albedo ("shiny"). 
E)  large size ("super"). 
A)  sapphire 
B)  stony. 
C)  sulfur. 
D)  high albedo ("shiny"). 
E)  large size ("super").

Question 12

What is the origin of meteor showers, and why are they sometimes more intense than at other times?

Accepted Answer

Meteor showers are produced when Earth p

Question 13

The size (radius) of the largest dwarf planet is

Accepted Answer

A)  between the size of Earth and Saturn. 
B)  about the size of Earth. 
C)  between the size of Mars and Venus. 
D)  about the size of Mercury. 
E)  smaller than Earth's Moon. 
A)  between the size of Earth and Saturn. 
B)  about the size of Earth. 
C)  between the size of Mars and Venus. 
D)  about the size of Mercury. 
E)  smaller than Earth's Moon.

Question 14

Suppose a collision between two large asteroids creates a handful of smaller asteroid fragments, some of which orbit at 2.7 AU from the Sun and some which orbit at 2.5 AU from the Sun.Based on the asteroid distribution plot shown in the figure below, which of the two smaller asteroid groups will have a stable orbit around the Sun, and why?

Accepted Answer

The asteroids at 2.5 AU fall into a 3:1

Question 15

The minimum size of a meteoroid that is capable of surviving its passage through Earth's atmosphere and hitting the ground is about as big as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  car. 
B)  house. 
C)  basketball. 
D)  grain of sand. 
E)  adult human fist. 
A)  car. 
B)  house. 
C)  basketball. 
D)  grain of sand. 
E)  adult human fist.

Question 16

When a comet is far from the Sun, which feature(s) does it have?

Accepted Answer

A)  nucleus 
B)  coma 
C)  ion tail 
D)  dust tail 
E)  all of these 
A)  nucleus 
B)  coma 
C)  ion tail 
D)  dust tail 
E)  all of these

Question 17

Most meteors originate from

Accepted Answer

A)  rocky moons. 
B)  solar flares. 
C)  asteroids and comets. 
D)  terrestrial planets. 
E)  giant planets. 
A)  rocky moons. 
B)  solar flares. 
C)  asteroids and comets. 
D)  terrestrial planets. 
E)  giant planets.

Question 18

Consider a meteoroid with a diameter of 10 cm and a mass of 2 kg that hits Earth head-on while traveling at a speed of 25,000 m/s.How many times larger or smaller is the meteoroid's kinetic energy compared to that of a typical train whose mass is 2 * 106 kg and speed is 25 m/s?

Accepted Answer

A)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is equal to that of the train. 
B)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 1,000 times less than that of the train. 
C)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 1,000 times greater than that of the train. 
D)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 106 times greater than that of the train. 
E)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 109 times greater than that of the train. 
A)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is equal to that of the train. 
B)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 1,000 times less than that of the train. 
C)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 1,000 times greater than that of the train. 
D)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 106 times greater than that of the train. 
E)  The meteoroid's kinetic energy is 109 times greater than that of the train.

Question 19

Do icy cometary nuclei melt and move from solid to liquid phase as they are warmed by the radiation from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

No,they sublimate.Their ices c

Question 20

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

Exam 12: Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Iron meteorites are fragments of which type of asteroid?

When combined, asteroids in the asteroid belt have a mass equivalent to

List two main differences between the orbital properties of the dwarf planet Pluto and those of planets in our Solar System.

Identify the phenomenon shown in the figure below.

The darkest asteroids are

A large meteor shower will often occur once a year because

Describe at least two things scientists have learned by sending spacecraft to comets, and why these could not be learned from ground-based observations.

With a semimajor axis of 18 AU, Comet Halley has a period of

What implication does the composition of cometary nuclei have for the creation of life?

The Perseid meteor shower will occur

The "S" in "S-type" asteroid stands for

What is the origin of meteor showers, and why are they sometimes more intense than at other times?

The size (radius) of the largest dwarf planet is

The minimum size of a meteoroid that is capable of surviving its passage through Earth's atmosphere and hitting the ground is about as big as a(n)

When a comet is far from the Sun, which feature(s) does it have?

Most meteors originate from

Consider a meteoroid with a diameter of 10 cm and a mass of 2 kg that hits Earth head-on while traveling at a speed of 25,000 m/s.How many times larger or smaller is the meteoroid's kinetic energy compared to that of a typical train whose mass is 2 * 106 kg and speed is 25 m/s?

Do icy cometary nuclei melt and move from solid to liquid phase as they are warmed by the radiation from the Sun?

Identify the object shown in the figure below.

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

Consider a meteoroid with a diameter of 10 cm and a mass of 2 kg that hits Earth head-on while traveling at a speed of 25,000 m/s.How many times larger or smaller is the meteoroid's kinetic energy compared to that of a typical train whose mass is 2 * 10⁶ kg and speed is 25 m/s?