Question 1

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

Accepted Answer

A) A meteorite is usually covered with a dark crust from burning in Earth's atmosphere. 
B) A meteorite usually has a high metal content. 
C) Meteorites have different isotope ratios of particular elements when compared to terrestrial rocks. 
D) Meteorites contain rare elements,such as iridium,that terrestrial rocks do not. 
E) All of the above are true. 
A) A meteorite is usually covered with a dark crust from burning in Earth's atmosphere. 
B) A meteorite usually has a high metal content. 
C) Meteorites have different isotope ratios of particular elements when compared to terrestrial rocks. 
D) Meteorites contain rare elements,such as iridium,that terrestrial rocks do not. 
E) All of the above are true.

Question 2

Halley's comet is named after the English scientist Edmund Halley (1656-1742)because

Accepted Answer

A) he was first person to see it when it passed near Earth in 1682. 
B) the discoverers named it for him in honor of his financial support. 
C) he was the most famous astronomer alive in England during its appearance in 1758. 
D) he calculated its orbit and predicted the year in which it would next be seen. 
A) he was first person to see it when it passed near Earth in 1682. 
B) the discoverers named it for him in honor of his financial support. 
C) he was the most famous astronomer alive in England during its appearance in 1758. 
D) he calculated its orbit and predicted the year in which it would next be seen.

Question 3

A rock found on Earth that crashed down from space is called

Accepted Answer

A) a meteor. 
B) an asteroid. 
C) a meteorite. 
D) an impact. 
A) a meteor. 
B) an asteroid. 
C) a meteorite. 
D) an impact.

Question 4

We know that there are large gaps in the average distances of asteroids from the Sun (within the asteroid belt)because we

Accepted Answer

A) see the gaps through telescopes. 
B) see the gaps via stellar occultation. 
C) know they are there theoretically,although we haven't detected them. 
D) actually don't know whether there really are gaps or not. 
E) have plotted distributions of the orbital radii of the asteroids. 
A) see the gaps through telescopes. 
B) see the gaps via stellar occultation. 
C) know they are there theoretically,although we haven't detected them. 
D) actually don't know whether there really are gaps or not. 
E) have plotted distributions of the orbital radii of the asteroids.

Question 5

What happens to Pluto's atmospheric gases over time?

Accepted Answer

A) Pluto traps gases from other Kuiper Belt Objects,causing its atmosphere to become much,much thicker. 
B) Pluto does not have an atmosphere. 
C) Pluto's atmosphere vaporizes over time,due to low gravity in the exosphere. 
D) Pluto's atmosphere is collapsing gases that freeze and fall to the surface. 
A) Pluto traps gases from other Kuiper Belt Objects,causing its atmosphere to become much,much thicker. 
B) Pluto does not have an atmosphere. 
C) Pluto's atmosphere vaporizes over time,due to low gravity in the exosphere. 
D) Pluto's atmosphere is collapsing gases that freeze and fall to the surface.

Question 6

Which of the following Pluto observations did not help convince scientists to change Pluto's status from that of a planet?

Accepted Answer

A) discovery of the Kuiper Belt 
B) discovery of seasonal atmosphere,similar to comets 
C) discovery of large Kuiper Belt Objects 
D) discovery of Pluto's 5 moons 
A) discovery of the Kuiper Belt 
B) discovery of seasonal atmosphere,similar to comets 
C) discovery of large Kuiper Belt Objects 
D) discovery of Pluto's 5 moons

Question 7

Comets appear to race across the sky in photographs,but in reality they remain nearly stationary relative to the stars.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Suppose we discover a new comet on an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than Mercury every 125 years.What can we conclude?

Accepted Answer

A) It came from the Oort cloud. 
B) It came from the Kuiper belt. 
C) It has been on its current orbit for only a very short time compared to the age of our solar system. 
D) It has a coma and tail during most of each orbit. 
A) It came from the Oort cloud. 
B) It came from the Kuiper belt. 
C) It has been on its current orbit for only a very short time compared to the age of our solar system. 
D) It has a coma and tail during most of each orbit.

Question 9

The number of comets in the Oort cloud is probably about

Accepted Answer

A) a thousand. 
B) a million. 
C) a billion. 
D) a trillion. 
E) a quintillion. 
A) a thousand. 
B) a million. 
C) a billion. 
D) a trillion. 
E) a quintillion.

Question 10

Most meteorites collected on Earth are of the rocky primitive variety,although most asteroids are of the carbon-rich variety.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Oort-cloud comets are so far from the Sun that the gravity of neighboring stars can alter their orbits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What do asteroids and comets have in common

Accepted Answer

A) Most are unchanged since their formation in the solar nebula. 
B) They have similar densities. 
C) They have similar orbital radii. 
D) They have a similar range of orbital inclinations. 
E) They have nothing in common with each other. 
A) Most are unchanged since their formation in the solar nebula. 
B) They have similar densities. 
C) They have similar orbital radii. 
D) They have a similar range of orbital inclinations. 
E) They have nothing in common with each other.

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

Halley's comet is named after the English scientist Edmund Halley (1656-1742)because

A rock found on Earth that crashed down from space is called

We know that there are large gaps in the average distances of asteroids from the Sun (within the asteroid belt)because we

What happens to Pluto's atmospheric gases over time?

Which of the following Pluto observations did not help convince scientists to change Pluto's status from that of a planet?

Comets appear to race across the sky in photographs,but in reality they remain nearly stationary relative to the stars.

Suppose we discover a new comet on an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than Mercury every 125 years.What can we conclude?

The number of comets in the Oort cloud is probably about

Most meteorites collected on Earth are of the rocky primitive variety,although most asteroids are of the carbon-rich variety.

Oort-cloud comets are so far from the Sun that the gravity of neighboring stars can alter their orbits.

What do asteroids and comets have in common

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

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

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

Halley's comet is named after the English scientist Edmund Halley (1656-1742)because

A rock found on Earth that crashed down from space is called

We know that there are large gaps in the average distances of asteroids from the Sun (within the asteroid belt)because we

What happens to Pluto's atmospheric gases over time?

Which of the following Pluto observations did not help convince scientists to change Pluto's status from that of a planet?

Comets appear to race across the sky in photographs,but in reality they remain nearly stationary relative to the stars.

Suppose we discover a new comet on an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than Mercury every 125 years.What can we conclude?

The number of comets in the Oort cloud is probably about

Most meteorites collected on Earth are of the rocky primitive variety,although most asteroids are of the carbon-rich variety.

Oort-cloud comets are so far from the Sun that the gravity of neighboring stars can alter their orbits.

What do asteroids and comets have in common

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