Question 1

Dawn images of Vesta show that it is much wider than it is tall.What might be the reason for its irregular shape?

Accepted Answer

It is probably the result of an impact.T

Question 2

In order to have a comet named after you,you have to

Accepted Answer

A) calculate its orbit and predict when it will return. 
B) publish a picture of it in an astronomical journal. 
C) be one of the first three discoverers who report it to the International Astronomical Union (IAU). 
D) be a well-known astronomer. 
E) be and do all of the above 
A) calculate its orbit and predict when it will return. 
B) publish a picture of it in an astronomical journal. 
C) be one of the first three discoverers who report it to the International Astronomical Union (IAU). 
D) be a well-known astronomer. 
E) be and do all of the above

Question 3

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

Accepted Answer

A) Pluto is always much farther from the Sun than Neptune. 
B) Pluto orbits the Sun exactly 2 times for every 3 Neptune orbits,which ensures they never come close together. 
C) Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit. 
D) Actually,a collision of the two is inevitable within the next billion years. 
A) Pluto is always much farther from the Sun than Neptune. 
B) Pluto orbits the Sun exactly 2 times for every 3 Neptune orbits,which ensures they never come close together. 
C) Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit. 
D) Actually,a collision of the two is inevitable within the next billion years.

Question 4

Where did comets that are now in the Kuiper belt originally form?

Accepted Answer

A) in the asteroid belt 
B) inside Jupiter's orbit 
C) between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune 
D) near the radius at which they orbit today 
E) in the Oort cloud 
A) in the asteroid belt 
B) inside Jupiter's orbit 
C) between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune 
D) near the radius at which they orbit today 
E) in the Oort cloud

Question 5

What is Charon?

Accepted Answer

A) Pluto's largest moon 
B) the largest known asteroid 
C) the largest known comet 
D) one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter 
E) a moon of Neptune 
A) Pluto's largest moon 
B) the largest known asteroid 
C) the largest known comet 
D) one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter 
E) a moon of Neptune

Question 6

Which of the following statements is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) Objects in the asteroid belt are made mostly of rock and metal. 
B) Objects in the Kuiper belt are made mostly of rock and metal. 
C) Objects in the Oort cloud contain large proportions of ice. 
D) Objects in the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane as the planets,but objects in the Oort cloud do not. 
A) Objects in the asteroid belt are made mostly of rock and metal. 
B) Objects in the Kuiper belt are made mostly of rock and metal. 
C) Objects in the Oort cloud contain large proportions of ice. 
D) Objects in the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane as the planets,but objects in the Oort cloud do not.

Question 7

Falling stars and shooting stars are simply other names for meteors.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

What is the size of the largest asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A) 1 km 
B) 10 km 
C) 100 km 
D) 1,000 km 
E) 10,000 km 
A) 1 km 
B) 10 km 
C) 100 km 
D) 1,000 km 
E) 10,000 km

Question 9

Why isn't there a planet where the asteroid belt is located?

Accepted Answer

A) There was not enough material in this part of the solar nebula to form a planet. 
B) A planet once formed here,but it was broken apart by a catastrophic collision. 
C) Gravitational tugs from Jupiter prevented material from collecting together to form a planet. 
D) There was too much rocky material to form a terrestrial planet,but not enough gaseous material to form a jovian planet. 
E) The temperature in this portion of the solar nebula was just right to prevent rock from sticking together. 
A) There was not enough material in this part of the solar nebula to form a planet. 
B) A planet once formed here,but it was broken apart by a catastrophic collision. 
C) Gravitational tugs from Jupiter prevented material from collecting together to form a planet. 
D) There was too much rocky material to form a terrestrial planet,but not enough gaseous material to form a jovian planet. 
E) The temperature in this portion of the solar nebula was just right to prevent rock from sticking together.

Question 10

Which direction do a comet's dust and plasma tails point?

Accepted Answer

A) straight behind the comet in its orbit 
B) generally away from the Sun 
C) perpendicular to the ecliptic plane 
D) always almost due north 
A) straight behind the comet in its orbit 
B) generally away from the Sun 
C) perpendicular to the ecliptic plane 
D) always almost due north

Question 11

What is a meteorite?

Accepted Answer

A) a streak of light caused by a star moving across the sky 
B) a streak of light caused by a small particle from space burning up in Earth's atmosphere 
C) a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that has fallen to Earth's surface 
D) a small moon that orbits one of the giant planets 
E) a comet that burns up in Earth's atmosphere 
A) a streak of light caused by a star moving across the sky 
B) a streak of light caused by a small particle from space burning up in Earth's atmosphere 
C) a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that has fallen to Earth's surface 
D) a small moon that orbits one of the giant planets 
E) a comet that burns up in Earth's atmosphere

Question 12

Why aren't small asteroids spherical in shape?

Accepted Answer

A) The strength of gravity on small asteroids is less than the strength of the rock. 
B) Small asteroids have odd shapes because they were all chipped off larger objects. 
C) Large asteroids were once molten and therefore became spherical,but small asteroids were never molten. 
D) Large asteroids became spherical because many small collisions chipped off pieces until only a sphere was left;this did not occur with small asteroids. 
A) The strength of gravity on small asteroids is less than the strength of the rock. 
B) Small asteroids have odd shapes because they were all chipped off larger objects. 
C) Large asteroids were once molten and therefore became spherical,but small asteroids were never molten. 
D) Large asteroids became spherical because many small collisions chipped off pieces until only a sphere was left;this did not occur with small asteroids.

Question 13

Why is the Kuiper belt flat but the Oort cloud spherical?

Accepted Answer

The difference is that the comets in the

Question 14

Describe at least three ways in which our solar system would be different if orbital resonances had never been important.

Accepted Answer

Many possible answers;without orbital re

Question 15

Where are the Trojan asteroids located?

Accepted Answer

A) surrounding Jupiter 
B) along Jupiter's orbit,60° ahead of and behind Jupiter 
C) in the center of the asteroid belt 
D) on orbits that cross Earth's orbit 
E) on orbits that cross Mars's orbit 
A) surrounding Jupiter 
B) along Jupiter's orbit,60° ahead of and behind Jupiter 
C) in the center of the asteroid belt 
D) on orbits that cross Earth's orbit 
E) on orbits that cross Mars's orbit

Question 16

Why are most meteorites found in Antarctica?

Accepted Answer

Meteorites are generally very dark and s

Question 17

Process of Science: Observations of asteroids,comets,and meteorites help refine the theory of the formation of the solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Briefly describe the evidence suggesting that a 10-km asteroid or comet hit Earth at the time of the dinosaur extinction.

Accepted Answer

A layer of clay at this level in the sed

Question 19

Processed meteorites with low metal content probably are

Accepted Answer

A) leftover chunks of rock from the earliest period in the formation of the solar system. 
B) pieces of comets rather than of asteroids. 
C) chunks of a larger asteroid that was shattered by a collision. 
D) chunks of rock chipped off the planet Mercury. 
E) chunks of rock chipped off the planet Mars. 
A) leftover chunks of rock from the earliest period in the formation of the solar system. 
B) pieces of comets rather than of asteroids. 
C) chunks of a larger asteroid that was shattered by a collision. 
D) chunks of rock chipped off the planet Mercury. 
E) chunks of rock chipped off the planet Mars.

Question 20

Which statement about asteroids is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) Many but not all orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt. 
B) Some are more like loosely bound piles of rubble than solid chunks of rock. 
C) Most asteroids are not spherical in shape. 
D) If we could put all the asteroids together,they would make an object about the size of Earth. 
A) Many but not all orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt. 
B) Some are more like loosely bound piles of rubble than solid chunks of rock. 
C) Most asteroids are not spherical in shape. 
D) If we could put all the asteroids together,they would make an object about the size of Earth.

Exam 12: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Dawn images of Vesta show that it is much wider than it is tall.What might be the reason for its irregular shape?

In order to have a comet named after you,you have to

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

Where did comets that are now in the Kuiper belt originally form?

What is Charon?

Which of the following statements is not true?

Falling stars and shooting stars are simply other names for meteors.

What is the size of the largest asteroid?

Why isn't there a planet where the asteroid belt is located?

Which direction do a comet's dust and plasma tails point?

What is a meteorite?

Why aren't small asteroids spherical in shape?

Why is the Kuiper belt flat but the Oort cloud spherical?

Describe at least three ways in which our solar system would be different if orbital resonances had never been important.

Where are the Trojan asteroids located?

Why are most meteorites found in Antarctica?

Process of Science: Observations of asteroids,comets,and meteorites help refine the theory of the formation of the solar system.

Briefly describe the evidence suggesting that a 10-km asteroid or comet hit Earth at the time of the dinosaur extinction.

Processed meteorites with low metal content probably are

Which statement about asteroids is not true?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters