Question 1

Pluto's Sputnik Planum might be only ________ years old.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pluto's Sputnik Planum might be only ________...

Question 2

Large meteoroids are thought to collide with Earth:

Accepted Answer

A) at least once a decade. 
B) about once a century. 
C) a few times in every million-year period. 
D) once every billion years. 
E) never; only comets are thought to collide with Earth. 
A) at least once a decade. 
B) about once a century. 
C) a few times in every million-year period. 
D) once every billion years. 
E) never; only comets are thought to collide with Earth.

Question 3

About what percent of all asteroids are S-type asteroids?

Accepted Answer

A) 5% 
B) 10% 
C) 15% 
D) 50% 
E) 75% 
A) 5% 
B) 10% 
C) 15% 
D) 50% 
E) 75%

Question 4

The three largest asteroids are:

Accepted Answer

A) Pluto, Sedna, and Quaoar. 
B) Deimos, Phobos, and Athos. 
C) Ida, Gaspra, and Mathilde. 
D) Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. 
E) Halley, Hale-Bopp, and Hyakutake. 
A) Pluto, Sedna, and Quaoar. 
B) Deimos, Phobos, and Athos. 
C) Ida, Gaspra, and Mathilde. 
D) Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. 
E) Halley, Hale-Bopp, and Hyakutake.

Question 5

Charon's orbit:

Accepted Answer

A) lies exactly in Pluto's orbital plane. 
B) is highly inclined to Pluto's orbital plane. 
C) is perpendicular to Pluto's equator. 
D) is retrograde. 
E) has not been determined yet. 
A) lies exactly in Pluto's orbital plane. 
B) is highly inclined to Pluto's orbital plane. 
C) is perpendicular to Pluto's equator. 
D) is retrograde. 
E) has not been determined yet.

Question 6

What have spacecraft explorations shown about comets?

Accepted Answer

Many options, but should mention some of

Question 7

What are Apollo asteroids?

Accepted Answer

Asteroids whose orbit crosses

Question 8

Deep Impact showed that the internal composition of Comet Tempel 1 was consistent with a:

Accepted Answer

A) rocky nucleus. 
B) dirty snowball. 
C) molten core in the nucleus. 
D) plasma. 
A) rocky nucleus. 
B) dirty snowball. 
C) molten core in the nucleus. 
D) plasma.

Question 9

Briefly explain how an impact event 65 million years ago could have caused the extinction ofthe dinosaurs.

Accepted Answer

It could have kicked up enough dust to d

Question 10

What are Dactyl, Gaspra, Mathilde, Eros, and Ida?

Accepted Answer

A) the four largest main belt asteroids, and the first to be discovered 
B) the first four bodies found in the Kuiper Belt after Pluto 
C) newly discovered small moons of Saturn 
D) four asteroids that have been explored by spacecraft 
E) newly discovered retrograde moons of Jupiter 
A) the four largest main belt asteroids, and the first to be discovered 
B) the first four bodies found in the Kuiper Belt after Pluto 
C) newly discovered small moons of Saturn 
D) four asteroids that have been explored by spacecraft 
E) newly discovered retrograde moons of Jupiter

Question 11

The orbits of most asteroids:

Accepted Answer

A) lie beyond Neptune. 
B) lie entirely beyond the orbit of Mars. 
C) cross the orbit of Mars. 
D) cross the orbit of Earth. 
E) cross the orbits of all four terrestrial planets. 
A) lie beyond Neptune. 
B) lie entirely beyond the orbit of Mars. 
C) cross the orbit of Mars. 
D) cross the orbit of Earth. 
E) cross the orbits of all four terrestrial planets.

Question 12

Long period comets are thought to reside mainly in the:

Accepted Answer

A) asteroid belt. 
B) Kirkwood gaps. 
C) Kuiper Belt. 
D) Oort Cloud. 
E) Interstellar Medium. 
A) asteroid belt. 
B) Kirkwood gaps. 
C) Kuiper Belt. 
D) Oort Cloud. 
E) Interstellar Medium.

Question 13

We find that near perihelion, Pluto temporarily develops a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of We find that near perihelion, Pluto temporarily...

Question 14

Asteroid 2004 FH passed within a tenth of the Earth-Moon distance in March 2004. When itsperiod was found to be about nine months, it was classified as a(n):

Accepted Answer

A) short period comet. 
B) Aten asteroid. 
C) Apollo asteroid. 
D) Amor asteroid. 
E) Kuiper Belt Object. 
A) short period comet. 
B) Aten asteroid. 
C) Apollo asteroid. 
D) Amor asteroid. 
E) Kuiper Belt Object.

Question 15

When a formal definition of a planet in the solar system was adopted, Pluto was reclassifiedas a dwarf planet. What characteristic of planets does NOT describe Pluto?

Accepted Answer

A) Planets orbit the Sun. 
B) Planets are approximately spherical. 
C) Planets have cleared the neighborhood around their orbit. 
D) Planets orbit in ellipses with low eccentricity. 
E) Planets orbit in or very near the ecliptic plane. 
A) Planets orbit the Sun. 
B) Planets are approximately spherical. 
C) Planets have cleared the neighborhood around their orbit. 
D) Planets orbit in ellipses with low eccentricity. 
E) Planets orbit in or very near the ecliptic plane.

Question 16

Meteorites are valuable to astronomers because:

Accepted Answer

A) they may provide evidence about the process in which the solar system was born. 
B) they originated in other solar systems. 
C) they contain diamonds and gold. 
D) they reveal the contents of interstellar space. 
E) they prove that life can only exist on Earth. 
A) they may provide evidence about the process in which the solar system was born. 
B) they originated in other solar systems. 
C) they contain diamonds and gold. 
D) they reveal the contents of interstellar space. 
E) they prove that life can only exist on Earth.

Question 17

The first hint of the role of asteroids in extinction of the dinosaurs came from:

Accepted Answer

A) finding the huge crater in the Yucatan. 
B) finding dinosaur fossils with meteorites imbedded in them. 
C) finding a layer of worldwide iridium enriched dust. 
D) finding that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and smart. 
E) finding that no volcanic eruptions were linked to their disappearance. 
A) finding the huge crater in the Yucatan. 
B) finding dinosaur fossils with meteorites imbedded in them. 
C) finding a layer of worldwide iridium enriched dust. 
D) finding that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and smart. 
E) finding that no volcanic eruptions were linked to their disappearance.

Question 18

The asteroid Vesta seems to have once been volcanically active, amazing for its small size.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The Trojan asteroids have orbits that:

Accepted Answer

A) are, on average, closer to the Sun than we are. 
B) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion. 
C) cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion. 
D) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. 
E) stay out beyond Neptune. 
A) are, on average, closer to the Sun than we are. 
B) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion. 
C) cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion. 
D) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. 
E) stay out beyond Neptune.

Question 20

Discovered in the 1990s, the ________ is a vaster, darker version of the more famed asteroidbelt between Mars and Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discovered in the 1990s, the ________ is...

Exam 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Pluto's Sputnik Planum might be only ________ years old.

Large meteoroids are thought to collide with Earth:

About what percent of all asteroids are S-type asteroids?

The three largest asteroids are:

Charon's orbit:

What have spacecraft explorations shown about comets?

What are Apollo asteroids?

Deep Impact showed that the internal composition of Comet Tempel 1 was consistent with a:

Briefly explain how an impact event 65 million years ago could have caused the extinction ofthe dinosaurs.

What are Dactyl, Gaspra, Mathilde, Eros, and Ida?

The orbits of most asteroids:

Long period comets are thought to reside mainly in the:

We find that near perihelion, Pluto temporarily develops a(n)________.

Asteroid 2004 FH passed within a tenth of the Earth-Moon distance in March 2004. When itsperiod was found to be about nine months, it was classified as a(n):

When a formal definition of a planet in the solar system was adopted, Pluto was reclassifiedas a dwarf planet. What characteristic of planets does NOT describe Pluto?

Meteorites are valuable to astronomers because:

The first hint of the role of asteroids in extinction of the dinosaurs came from:

The asteroid Vesta seems to have once been volcanically active, amazing for its small size.

The Trojan asteroids have orbits that:

Discovered in the 1990s, the ________ is a vaster, darker version of the more famed asteroidbelt between Mars and Jupiter.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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