Question 1

Why do the meteors that are seen in the sky in a particular meteor shower appear to come from one specific direction in the sky?

Accepted Answer

A)  The meteors only appear to come from a specific direction because of the EarthEarth''s orbital motion. 
B)  The meteors appear this way because the direction is that of the orbit of the comet that disintegrated to produce the shower. 
C)  This direction is always along the ecliptic plane because meteor showers occur when the EarthEarth catches up with a collection of particles moving in its orbit. 
D)  This direction is the one along which objects pass on being attracted to the Sun from outer space by the Sun''s gravity. 
A)  The meteors only appear to come from a specific direction because of the EarthEarth''s orbital motion. 
B)  The meteors appear this way because the direction is that of the orbit of the comet that disintegrated to produce the shower. 
C)  This direction is always along the ecliptic plane because meteor showers occur when the EarthEarth catches up with a collection of particles moving in its orbit. 
D)  This direction is the one along which objects pass on being attracted to the Sun from outer space by the Sun''s gravity.

Question 2

Which are the most MOST common types of meteoroids in space?

Accepted Answer

A)  stony- irons 
B)  stones 
C)  irons 
D)  carbonaceous chondrites 
A)  stony- irons 
B)  stones 
C)  irons 
D)  carbonaceous chondrites

Question 3

Which spacecraft is the only one known to have landed on the surface of an asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cassini 
B)  Viking 
C)  NEAR Shoemaker 
D)  tThe Soviet Venera 8 spacecraft 
A)  Cassini 
B)  Viking 
C)  NEAR Shoemaker 
D)  tThe Soviet Venera 8 spacecraft

Question 4

On New Year''s Day,1801,Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the asteroid Ceres.His search was inspired by an event that had occurred only about twenty years before.What was the event?

Accepted Answer

A)  the first astronomical use of the telescope by Galileo 
B)  the invention of the first practical reflecting telescope by Newton 
C)  the discovery of Uranus by Herschel 
D)  the discovery of Pluto by Tombaugh 
A)  the first astronomical use of the telescope by Galileo 
B)  the invention of the first practical reflecting telescope by Newton 
C)  the discovery of Uranus by Herschel 
D)  the discovery of Pluto by Tombaugh

Question 5

The size of the coma,or gas cloud surrounding the comet nucleus,as it reaches its closest point to the Sun can be as large as about:

Accepted Answer

A)  about 10⁵ km. 
B)  about 10 km. 
C)  about 10⁷ km. 
D)  about 10⁶ km. 
A)  about 10⁵ km. 
B)  about 10 km. 
C)  about 10⁷ km. 
D)  about 10⁶ km.

Question 6

Unlike the other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt,Makemake has no moons.Is this significant?

Accepted Answer

A)  No. Having or not having a moon does not really make a significant difference. 
B)  Yes. It indicates that Makemake is older than the others. 
C)  Yes. It indicates that Makemake is younger than the others. 
D)  Yes. It means that it is harder to determine the mass of Makemake. 
A)  No. Having or not having a moon does not really make a significant difference. 
B)  Yes. It indicates that Makemake is older than the others. 
C)  Yes. It indicates that Makemake is younger than the others. 
D)  Yes. It means that it is harder to determine the mass of Makemake.

Question 7

What effect does Jupiter have on asteroids in the asteroid belt?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter has no effect whatsoever on such small objects because they are a long way away from Jupiter, and Jupiter''s gravitational influence varies as the inverse square of distance, by Newton''s law. 
B)  Jupiter perturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital periods are a simple fraction (e.g., 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 2/7) of its orbital period. 
C)  Jupiter disturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital distances (or semimajor axes) are a simple fraction (e.g., 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 2/7) of the radius of Jupiter''s orbit. 
D)  Jupiter disturbs the orbits of all the asteroids in the belt, slowing them down and causing them to spiral slowly in toward the Sun. 
A)  Jupiter has no effect whatsoever on such small objects because they are a long way away from Jupiter, and Jupiter''s gravitational influence varies as the inverse square of distance, by Newton''s law. 
B)  Jupiter perturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital periods are a simple fraction (e.g., 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 2/7) of its orbital period. 
C)  Jupiter disturbs only the orbits of asteroids whose orbital distances (or semimajor axes) are a simple fraction (e.g., 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 2/7) of the radius of Jupiter''s orbit. 
D)  Jupiter disturbs the orbits of all the asteroids in the belt, slowing them down and causing them to spiral slowly in toward the Sun.

Question 8

Which one of the following statements about the asteroid belt is falseFALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  The masses of all the known asteroid belt asteroids, added together, would produce a body too small to be classified as a planet. 
B)  All known asteroids orbit between Mars and Jupiter. 
C)  In spite of the vast average separations between asteroids, they can sometimes collide. 
D)  Almost all asteroids have orbits that lie near the plane of the ecliptic. 
A)  The masses of all the known asteroid belt asteroids, added together, would produce a body too small to be classified as a planet. 
B)  All known asteroids orbit between Mars and Jupiter. 
C)  In spite of the vast average separations between asteroids, they can sometimes collide. 
D)  Almost all asteroids have orbits that lie near the plane of the ecliptic.

Question 9

MOSTost comet nuclei are believed to be:

Accepted Answer

A)  carbonaceous chondrite meteorites-carbon material-ignited by sunlight and resulting in long smoke trails. 
B)  pieces of dusty ice left over from the formation of the solar system. 
C)  pieces of dirty ice ejected from the surface of the icy satellites of the outer planets by asteroid impacts. 
D)  pieces of rock or iron chipped from asteroids by impacts. 
A)  carbonaceous chondrite meteorites-carbon material-ignited by sunlight and resulting in long smoke trails. 
B)  pieces of dusty ice left over from the formation of the solar system. 
C)  pieces of dirty ice ejected from the surface of the icy satellites of the outer planets by asteroid impacts. 
D)  pieces of rock or iron chipped from asteroids by impacts.

Question 10

A piece of rock from outer space that reaches Earth''s surface after surviving a fiery passage through the EarthEarth''s atmosphere is known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  meteoroid. 
B)  asteroid. 
C)  meteor. 
D)  meteorite. 
A)  meteoroid. 
B)  asteroid. 
C)  meteor. 
D)  meteorite.

Question 11

Why are carbonaceous chondrites thought to be original material that formed in the early solar nebula?

Accepted Answer

A)  Carbonaceous chondrites show a Widmanstätten pattern, which indicates slow condensation from gaseous material. 
B)  The minerals of a carbonaceous chondrite contain up to 20% water, which would have evaporated away if the chondrite had been strongly heated. 
C)  Carbonaceous chondrites consist mostly of carbon, which was the dominant substance condensing in the outer solar nebula. 
D)  Carbonaceous chondrites consist almost entirely of ice, which would have sublimed away by now if this were not the first time the chondrite was passing close to the Sun. 
A)  Carbonaceous chondrites show a Widmanstätten pattern, which indicates slow condensation from gaseous material. 
B)  The minerals of a carbonaceous chondrite contain up to 20% water, which would have evaporated away if the chondrite had been strongly heated. 
C)  Carbonaceous chondrites consist mostly of carbon, which was the dominant substance condensing in the outer solar nebula. 
D)  Carbonaceous chondrites consist almost entirely of ice, which would have sublimed away by now if this were not the first time the chondrite was passing close to the Sun.

Question 12

How far will Comet Halley be from the Sun when it reaches its farthest point from the Sun,or aphelion,if its sidereal period is 76 years? (Caution: This calculation needs Kepler''s law and a little care.Assume that the comet''s perihelion distance from the Sun is negligible.)

Accepted Answer

A)  about 18 AU, between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus 
B)  about 1324 AU, well beyond the orbit of Pluto 
C)  about 9 AU, between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn 
D)  about 36 AU, between the orbits of Neptune and Pluto 
A)  about 18 AU, between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus 
B)  about 1324 AU, well beyond the orbit of Pluto 
C)  about 9 AU, between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn 
D)  about 36 AU, between the orbits of Neptune and Pluto

Question 13

What is unusual about the surface of Haumea?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is solid rock. 
B)  It appears to be a mixture of rock and ice. 
C)  It is almost pure water ice. 
D)  It is almost perfectly round. 
A)  It is solid rock. 
B)  It appears to be a mixture of rock and ice. 
C)  It is almost pure water ice. 
D)  It is almost perfectly round.

Question 14

Which two spacecraft have taken detailed photographs of the surface of an asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  NEAR Shoemaker and Cassini 
B)  Galileo and NEAR Shoemaker 
C)  Magellan and Cassini 
D)  Voyager 1 and Galileo 
A)  NEAR Shoemaker and Cassini 
B)  Galileo and NEAR Shoemaker 
C)  Magellan and Cassini 
D)  Voyager 1 and Galileo

Question 15

The most MOST likely origin of the "dirty snowballs" that become comets when they are deflected into orbits that bring them closer to the Sun is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  icy surfaces of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. 
B)  dust and gas clouds in the Milky Way Galaxy. 
C)  asteroid belt because most asteroids are actually comet nuclei. 
D)  Kuiper belt and Oort cloud surrounding the solar system. 
A)  icy surfaces of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. 
B)  dust and gas clouds in the Milky Way Galaxy. 
C)  asteroid belt because most asteroids are actually comet nuclei. 
D)  Kuiper belt and Oort cloud surrounding the solar system.

Question 16

A shooting star is a:

Accepted Answer

A)  violently erupting star ejecting matter rapidly away from it into interstellar space. 
B)  near-neighbor star moving rapidly across our field of view. 
C)  leading scorer on a basketball team. 
D)  small particle of interplanetary dust burning up and glowing as it enters the EarthEarth''s atmosphere. 
A)  violently erupting star ejecting matter rapidly away from it into interstellar space. 
B)  near-neighbor star moving rapidly across our field of view. 
C)  leading scorer on a basketball team. 
D)  small particle of interplanetary dust burning up and glowing as it enters the EarthEarth''s atmosphere.

Why do the meteors that are seen in the sky in a particular meteor shower appear to come from one specific direction in the sky?

Which are the most MOST common types of meteoroids in space?

Which spacecraft is the only one known to have landed on the surface of an asteroid?

On New Year''s Day,1801,Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the asteroid Ceres.His search was inspired by an event that had occurred only about twenty years before.What was the event?

The size of the coma,or gas cloud surrounding the comet nucleus,as it reaches its closest point to the Sun can be as large as about:

Unlike the other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt,Makemake has no moons.Is this significant?

What effect does Jupiter have on asteroids in the asteroid belt?

Which one of the following statements about the asteroid belt is falseFALSE?

MOSTost comet nuclei are believed to be:

A piece of rock from outer space that reaches Earth''s surface after surviving a fiery passage through the EarthEarth''s atmosphere is known as a(n):

Why are carbonaceous chondrites thought to be original material that formed in the early solar nebula?

How far will Comet Halley be from the Sun when it reaches its farthest point from the Sun,or aphelion,if its sidereal period is 76 years? (Caution: This calculation needs Kepler''s law and a little care.Assume that the comet''s perihelion distance from the Sun is negligible.)

What is unusual about the surface of Haumea?

Which two spacecraft have taken detailed photographs of the surface of an asteroid?

The most MOST likely origin of the "dirty snowballs" that become comets when they are deflected into orbits that bring them closer to the Sun is the:

A shooting star is a:

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 8: Vagabonds of the Solar System

Why do the meteors that are seen in the sky in a particular meteor shower appear to come from one specific direction in the sky?

Which are the most MOST common types of meteoroids in space?

Which spacecraft is the only one known to have landed on the surface of an asteroid?

On New Year''s Day,1801,Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the asteroid Ceres.His search was inspired by an event that had occurred only about twenty years before.What was the event?

The size of the coma,or gas cloud surrounding the comet nucleus,as it reaches its closest point to the Sun can be as large as about:

Unlike the other dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt,Makemake has no moons.Is this significant?

What effect does Jupiter have on asteroids in the asteroid belt?

Which one of the following statements about the asteroid belt is falseFALSE?

MOSTost comet nuclei are believed to be:

A piece of rock from outer space that reaches Earth''s surface after surviving a fiery passage through the EarthEarth''s atmosphere is known as a(n):

Why are carbonaceous chondrites thought to be original material that formed in the early solar nebula?

How far will Comet Halley be from the Sun when it reaches its farthest point from the Sun,or aphelion,if its sidereal period is 76 years? (Caution: This calculation needs Kepler''s law and a little care.Assume that the comet''s perihelion distance from the Sun is negligible.)

What is unusual about the surface of Haumea?

Which two spacecraft have taken detailed photographs of the surface of an asteroid?

The most MOST likely origin of the "dirty snowballs" that become comets when they are deflected into orbits that bring them closer to the Sun is the:

A shooting star is a:

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters