Question 1

Pluto's structure is thought to be most like the structure of:

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's Moon. 
B) Mercury 
C) the Sun. 
D) Titan 
E) Ceres 
A) Earth's Moon. 
B) Mercury 
C) the Sun. 
D) Titan 
E) Ceres

Question 2

What are the Kirkwood Gaps? What role does Jupiter play?

Accepted Answer

They are regions within the as

Question 3

Which of the following objects never collide with Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Apollo asteroids 
B) Amor asteroids 
C) Aten asteroids 
D) long period comets 
E) short period comets 
A) Apollo asteroids 
B) Amor asteroids 
C) Aten asteroids 
D) long period comets 
E) short period comets

Question 4

The body which wiped out the dinosaurs was about:

Accepted Answer

A) as big as our Moon. 
B) as big as one of Mars' moons. 
C) a few hundred meters across. 
D) as big as a 747. 
E) as big as an SUV. 
A) as big as our Moon. 
B) as big as one of Mars' moons. 
C) a few hundred meters across. 
D) as big as a 747. 
E) as big as an SUV.

Question 5

About what percent of all asteroids are C-type asteroids?

Accepted Answer

A) 5% 
B) 10% 
C) 15% 
D) 50% 
E) 75% 
A) 5% 
B) 10% 
C) 15% 
D) 50% 
E) 75%

Question 6

There are three classes of asteroids, based on their surface reflectivities. Name them, anddescribe their composition in terms of the differentiation process.

Accepted Answer

Type M are metallic in appearance, proba

Question 7

In addition to the asteroid belt, some meteorites come from the Moon and even Mars.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

New Horizons is the only spacecraft to make a soft landing on a comet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The primary component of Pluto's atmosphere when observed by New Horizons was

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen. 
B) oxygen. 
C) methane. 
D) carbon dioxide. 
A) nitrogen. 
B) oxygen. 
C) methane. 
D) carbon dioxide.

Question 10

Before it arrived in orbit about Eros, the NEAR spacecraft also flew past:

Accepted Answer

A) Venus. 
B) asteroid Mathilde. 
C) Comet Wild. 
D) Mars. 
E) Comet Halley. 
A) Venus. 
B) asteroid Mathilde. 
C) Comet Wild. 
D) Mars. 
E) Comet Halley.

Question 11

In March 2004, a new world, Sedna, with a comet-like orbit and a perihelion over three timesfarther out than Pluto's was announced. What did this do to Pluto's status as a major planet?

Accepted Answer

Although Sedna is probably not part of P

Question 12

Nearly every aspect of astronomy is related in some way to the existence of gravity and to themotions which are responsible for a balance against gravity. How does this balance play a rolefor the miscellaneous objects of the solar system (i.e., the asteroids and comets)? How can someaspect of this be used as a tool to determine masses in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

Asteroids and comets all orbit the Sun,

Question 13

Why do scientists think that Vesta could be a protoplanet?

Accepted Answer

The Dawn spacecraft found that

Question 14

The asteroid belt is believed to be debris left over from the age of formation of the solarsystem; the tidal effects of ________ probably prevented formation of a major planet there.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The asteroid belt is believed to be...

Question 15

Pluto has 3 known moons: Charon, Hydra and Nix.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The asteroids Gaspra, Ida, and Vesta all have surfaces that date back to the formation ofplanetesimals in the early solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The Kuiper Belt objects have orbits that:

Accepted Answer

A) carry them thousands of A.U. beyond the Sun. 
B) stay out just beyond Neptune and close to the ecliptic. 
C) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. 
D) cross the orbit of Mars at perihelion. 
E) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion. 
A) carry them thousands of A.U. beyond the Sun. 
B) stay out just beyond Neptune and close to the ecliptic. 
C) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. 
D) cross the orbit of Mars at perihelion. 
E) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.

Question 18

Which of the following is definitely NOT a dwarf planet?

Accepted Answer

A) Pluto 
B) Makemake 
C) Pallas 
D) Haumea 
E) Ceres 
A) Pluto 
B) Makemake 
C) Pallas 
D) Haumea 
E) Ceres

Question 19

What arguments are cited for the existence of the Oort Cloud of comets?

Accepted Answer

Long-period comets have very large orbit

Question 20

Scientists have proved that an asteroid or comet impact approximately 65 million years agocaused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Pluto's structure is thought to be most like the structure of:

What are the Kirkwood Gaps? What role does Jupiter play?

Which of the following objects never collide with Earth?

The body which wiped out the dinosaurs was about:

About what percent of all asteroids are C-type asteroids?

There are three classes of asteroids, based on their surface reflectivities. Name them, anddescribe their composition in terms of the differentiation process.

In addition to the asteroid belt, some meteorites come from the Moon and even Mars.

New Horizons is the only spacecraft to make a soft landing on a comet.

The primary component of Pluto's atmosphere when observed by New Horizons was

Before it arrived in orbit about Eros, the NEAR spacecraft also flew past:

In March 2004, a new world, Sedna, with a comet-like orbit and a perihelion over three timesfarther out than Pluto's was announced. What did this do to Pluto's status as a major planet?

Why do scientists think that Vesta could be a protoplanet?

The asteroid belt is believed to be debris left over from the age of formation of the solarsystem; the tidal effects of ________ probably prevented formation of a major planet there.

Pluto has 3 known moons: Charon, Hydra and Nix.

The asteroids Gaspra, Ida, and Vesta all have surfaces that date back to the formation ofplanetesimals in the early solar system.

The Kuiper Belt objects have orbits that:

Which of the following is definitely NOT a dwarf planet?

What arguments are cited for the existence of the Oort Cloud of comets?

Scientists have proved that an asteroid or comet impact approximately 65 million years agocaused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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