Exam 9: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Which of the following are evidence for an asteroid impact being the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (as well as 75% of all species alive at the time)?

Which of the following statements about comets best describes the light we can observe?

Pluto has 5 known moons.

Refer to the following scenario for the questions below. Lost in the Solar System: You have been abducted by an alien being. After performing experiments on you, the alien gives you a "life- support belt", allowing you to survive in any environment, and dumps you somewhere in the solar system. Each question below gives a brief description of a place where you were left by the alien. Identify your location. Be as specific as possible. Include a brief explanation for your answer. -You are walking on a solid surface. The surface gravity is comfortable, but it is "hot, hot, hot!" Your body is being squeezed in all directions due to the high pressure; it's almost like being deep in the ocean. Your life- support belt is corroding. The Sun, barely visible through the haze, is near your meridian. You hope for nightfall (unaware that it would provide no relief), but you already have been stuck on this planet for nearly 72 hours, and the Sun seems not to have moved through the sky (and, if it moved at all, it moved eastward from the meridian).

What is Tunguska?

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

Approximately how long ago was Pluto discovered?

How many moons is Pluto known to have?

Suppose the planet Jupiter had never formed. How do you think the distribution of asteroids and comets in our solar system would be different? Explain.

What do we mean by a mass extinction?

What happened to the "Impactor" of the Deep Impact mission?

What was the Shoemaker- Levy 9 impact?

In what way(s)has Pluto long been known to be different from the planets?

When we see a meteor shower, it means that .

The asteroid belt is located .

Which of the following is furthest from the Sun?

What was the Stardust mission?

Refer to the following scenario for the questions below. Lost in the Solar System: You have been abducted by an alien being. After performing experiments on you, the alien gives you a "life- support belt", allowing you to survive in any environment, and dumps you somewhere in the solar system. Each question below gives a brief description of a place where you were left by the alien. Identify your location. Be as specific as possible. Include a brief explanation for your answer. -It's cold. You are sitting on what appears to be a water ice- covered world. The Sun is low on the horizon and circles the horizon once every 24 hours. Despite the low Sun, you can almost "feel" the Sun's ultraviolet radiation on your exposed face because there is little ozone to protect you. Despite these discomforts, you are pleased to find that the air is quite satisfactory; oxygen seems plentiful and you are able to breathe even without the life- support belt.

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

How frequently do objects that threaten widespread devastation hit the Earth?