Question 1

This is an object from space that strikes the Earth's surface.

Accepted Answer

A) Meteoroid 
B) Comet 
C) Meteorite 
D) Meteor 
A) Meteoroid 
B) Comet 
C) Meteorite 
D) Meteor C

Question 2

A comet's nucleus is ____ in diameter.

Accepted Answer

A) A few meters 
B) A few kilometers 
C) A few hundred km 
D) About 100,000 km 
E) Up to 1 AU 
A) A few meters 
B) A few kilometers 
C) A few hundred km 
D) About 100,000 km 
E) Up to 1 AU B

Question 3

The zodiacal light is caused by

Accepted Answer

A) Emission from hot interplanetary gas 
B) Sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust 
C) Charged particles in the Earth's atmosphere 
D) Comets too small to be seen individually 
A) Emission from hot interplanetary gas 
B) Sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust 
C) Charged particles in the Earth's atmosphere 
D) Comets too small to be seen individually B

Question 4

Until recently why were most meteorite finds irons?

Accepted Answer

A) Most objects that fall to Earth are irons 
B) Irons are recognizable as meteorites long after they fall 
C) Most searches for meteorites have used magnets 
D) Irons remain very hot long after they fall 
A) Most objects that fall to Earth are irons 
B) Irons are recognizable as meteorites long after they fall 
C) Most searches for meteorites have used magnets 
D) Irons remain very hot long after they fall

Question 5

This is a dirty ice ball,usually found in the outer solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) Asteroid 
B) Comet 
C) Meteor 
D) Meteorite 
A) Asteroid 
B) Comet 
C) Meteor 
D) Meteorite

Question 6

This is an object that is burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) Meteoroid 
B) Comet 
C) Meteorite 
D) Meteor 
A) Meteoroid 
B) Comet 
C) Meteorite 
D) Meteor

Question 7

Most Apollo asteroids will be destroyed eventually by

Accepted Answer

A) Complete evaporation of their ices 
B) Falling into the sun 
C) Collisions with other asteroids 
D) Collision with a planet 
A) Complete evaporation of their ices 
B) Falling into the sun 
C) Collisions with other asteroids 
D) Collision with a planet

Question 8

The orbits of long period comets are

Accepted Answer

A) Circular 
B) Close to the ecliptic. 
C) Randomly oriented with respect to the ecliptic 
D) Similar to the planetary orbits 
E) Always prograde,but with high eccentricities 
A) Circular 
B) Close to the ecliptic. 
C) Randomly oriented with respect to the ecliptic 
D) Similar to the planetary orbits 
E) Always prograde,but with high eccentricities

Question 9

Where are the Trojan asteroids located?

Accepted Answer

A) In orbit about the Sun at Jupiter's distance 
B) In orbit about planets 
C) In the middle of the asteroid belt 
D) In orbits that cross that of the Earth 
A) In orbit about the Sun at Jupiter's distance 
B) In orbit about planets 
C) In the middle of the asteroid belt 
D) In orbits that cross that of the Earth

Question 10

What is distinctive about the Apollo asteroids?

Accepted Answer

A) They share Jupiter's orbit 
B) Their orbits cross that of the Earth 
C) They are the largest asteroids 
D) They do not have elliptical orbits 
A) They share Jupiter's orbit 
B) Their orbits cross that of the Earth 
C) They are the largest asteroids 
D) They do not have elliptical orbits

Question 11

Why is it important that new comets enter the planetary system on elliptical orbits rather than parabolic orbits?

Accepted Answer

A) It shows that they aren't just intruders from interstellar space 
B) Objects on elliptical orbits travel faster than those on parabolic orbits 
C) It makes it possible to predict their paths through the planetary system 
D) It makes them less likely to hit one of the planets 
A) It shows that they aren't just intruders from interstellar space 
B) Objects on elliptical orbits travel faster than those on parabolic orbits 
C) It makes it possible to predict their paths through the planetary system 
D) It makes them less likely to hit one of the planets

Question 12

What type of meteorite makes up the great majority of meteorite falls?

Accepted Answer

A) Stony-irons 
B) Irons 
C) Stones 
D) Radiants 
A) Stony-irons 
B) Irons 
C) Stones 
D) Radiants

Question 13

What kind of bodies make up the Oort cloud?

Accepted Answer

A) Rocky bodies,like asteroids 
B) Icy bodies 
C) Very small solid bodies,like interplanetary dust particles 
D) Brown dwarf stars 
A) Rocky bodies,like asteroids 
B) Icy bodies 
C) Very small solid bodies,like interplanetary dust particles 
D) Brown dwarf stars

Question 14

Which part of a comet is the only one that exists when the comet is far from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) The nucleus 
B) The dust tail 
C) The ion tail 
D) The coma 
A) The nucleus 
B) The dust tail 
C) The ion tail 
D) The coma

Question 15

Why is the meteor shower seen in mid December called the Geminids?

Accepted Answer

A) The shower occurs during the month when the sun is in Gemini 
B) The meteors are fragments of a body from a star in Gemini 
C) The radiant of the shower is located in Gemini 
D) The shower was mentioned in a myth about Gemini,the twins 
A) The shower occurs during the month when the sun is in Gemini 
B) The meteors are fragments of a body from a star in Gemini 
C) The radiant of the shower is located in Gemini 
D) The shower was mentioned in a myth about Gemini,the twins

Question 16

This is a small asteroid moving through space.

Accepted Answer

A) Meteor 
B) Meteoriod 
C) Meteorite 
D) Comet fragment 
A) Meteor 
B) Meteoriod 
C) Meteorite 
D) Comet fragment

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the material that makes up the nucleus of a comet?

Accepted Answer

A) Rocky 
B) Gaseous 
C) Dirty ice 
D) Metallic crystals 
A) Rocky 
B) Gaseous 
C) Dirty ice 
D) Metallic crystals

Question 18

Which of the following is the reason that Comet Halley is observed to be much more spectacular at some appearances than at others?

Accepted Answer

A) The size of its nucleus varies greatly from one appearance to another 
B) The shape of its orbit varies greatly with time 
C) Its observability near perihelion depends on the time of year 
D) During some appearances it has been hidden behind other planets 
A) The size of its nucleus varies greatly from one appearance to another 
B) The shape of its orbit varies greatly with time 
C) Its observability near perihelion depends on the time of year 
D) During some appearances it has been hidden behind other planets

Question 19

Most of the asteroids are located between the orbits of

Accepted Answer

A) Venus and Earth 
B) Earth and Mars 
C) Mars and Jupiter 
D) Jupiter and Saturn 
A) Venus and Earth 
B) Earth and Mars 
C) Mars and Jupiter 
D) Jupiter and Saturn

Question 20

Short period comets have what origin?

Accepted Answer

A) Long period comets that have been deflected into a short period orbit by a large planet. 
B) Close approach of a nearby star,deflecting objects into short period orbits. 
C) Interaction of an asteroid with the planet Jupiter. 
D) Long period comets have their orbits deflected into a short period orbit by the Sun. 
A) Long period comets that have been deflected into a short period orbit by a large planet. 
B) Close approach of a nearby star,deflecting objects into short period orbits. 
C) Interaction of an asteroid with the planet Jupiter. 
D) Long period comets have their orbits deflected into a short period orbit by the Sun.

Exam 15: Small Solar System Bodies

This is an object from space that strikes the Earth's surface.

A comet's nucleus is ____ in diameter.

The zodiacal light is caused by

Until recently why were most meteorite finds irons?

This is a dirty ice ball,usually found in the outer solar system.

This is an object that is burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

Most Apollo asteroids will be destroyed eventually by

The orbits of long period comets are

Where are the Trojan asteroids located?

What is distinctive about the Apollo asteroids?

Why is it important that new comets enter the planetary system on elliptical orbits rather than parabolic orbits?

What type of meteorite makes up the great majority of meteorite falls?

What kind of bodies make up the Oort cloud?

Which part of a comet is the only one that exists when the comet is far from the Sun?

Why is the meteor shower seen in mid December called the Geminids?

This is a small asteroid moving through space.

Which of the following best describes the material that makes up the nucleus of a comet?

Which of the following is the reason that Comet Halley is observed to be much more spectacular at some appearances than at others?

Most of the asteroids are located between the orbits of

Short period comets have what origin?

Journeys Start

Patterns in the Sky

Ancient Astronomy

Renaissance Astronomy

Gravity and Motion

Light and Telescopes

Overview of the Solar System

The Earth

The Moon

Mercury and Venus

Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

The Outer Solar System

Satellites

Basic Properties of Stars

The Sun

The Formation of Stars and Planets

The Evolution of Stars

White Dwarfs, neutron Stars, and Black Holes

Binary Star Systems

The Milky Way

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Galaxy Clusters and the Structure of the Universe

Cosmology

Life in the Universe

Filters