Question 1

Most meteor showers occur ________, as we again intersect the comet's orbit.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most meteor showers occur ________, as we...

Question 2

Compared to Ida, Eros, and Gaspra, what was odd about Mathilde?

Accepted Answer

A) It had a small moon, so we could more accurately find its mass. 
B) It was much denser, probably made of iron and nickel, a class M asteroid. 
C) It was less dense than water, indicating it was a comet nucleus, rather than an asteroid. 
D) It was less dense than rock, but more than ice, suggesting a porous structure. 
E) It was the same density as the Earth's Moon, indicating it had been knocked off our Moon. 
A) It had a small moon, so we could more accurately find its mass. 
B) It was much denser, probably made of iron and nickel, a class M asteroid. 
C) It was less dense than water, indicating it was a comet nucleus, rather than an asteroid. 
D) It was less dense than rock, but more than ice, suggesting a porous structure. 
E) It was the same density as the Earth's Moon, indicating it had been knocked off our Moon.

Question 3

How does the discovery of a comet typically differ from that of an asteroid?

Accepted Answer

While both bodies are in motion, and thu

Question 4

Based on its orbit, give two reasons to revoke Pluto's planetary status.

Accepted Answer

It does not orbit in the eclip

Question 5

Which of the following gives direct information about the age of the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) Martian meteorites 
B) meteorites from asteroidal debris 
C) the solar wind 
D) the oldest Martian basalts 
E) the oldest lunar basalts 
A) Martian meteorites 
B) meteorites from asteroidal debris 
C) the solar wind 
D) the oldest Martian basalts 
E) the oldest lunar basalts

Question 6

The orbits of most comets:

Accepted Answer

A) are like the planets, fairly circular and in the ecliptic plane. 
B) lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune. 
C) have perihelions within the orbits of Mercury. 
D) go no farther out than Pluto, then return to the Sun again. 
E) are shorter than the 76 year period for Comet Halley. 
A) are like the planets, fairly circular and in the ecliptic plane. 
B) lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune. 
C) have perihelions within the orbits of Mercury. 
D) go no farther out than Pluto, then return to the Sun again. 
E) are shorter than the 76 year period for Comet Halley.

Question 7

Will Pluto ever collide with Neptune? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

No. The orbits are in a resona

Question 8

The NASA orbiter that ultimately landed on the surface of the asteroid Eros was:

Accepted Answer

A) New Horizons. 
B) Giotto. 
C) Stardust. 
D) NEAR Shoemaker. 
E) Clementine. 
A) New Horizons. 
B) Giotto. 
C) Stardust. 
D) NEAR Shoemaker. 
E) Clementine.

Question 9

The Amor asteroids have orbits that:

Accepted Answer

A) stay closer to the Sun, on average, than we do. 
B) stay out beyond Neptune. 
C) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. 
D) cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion. 
E) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion. 
A) stay closer to the Sun, on average, than we do. 
B) stay out beyond Neptune. 
C) stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter. 
D) cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion. 
E) cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.

Question 10

What is the major change in Pluto's atmosphere as it orbits the Sun?

Accepted Answer

When Pluto is closest to the S

Question 11

On its way to Jupiter, Galileo also gave us close-ups of:

Accepted Answer

A) Mars and Venus. 
B) Ceres and Vesta. 
C) Gaspra and Ida. 
D) Mathilde and Eros. 
E) Mercury and Venus. 
A) Mars and Venus. 
B) Ceres and Vesta. 
C) Gaspra and Ida. 
D) Mathilde and Eros. 
E) Mercury and Venus.

Question 12

Iron meteorites are believed to come from:

Accepted Answer

A) the core of a dense M-type asteroid, now broken up. 
B) Mars, hence their reddish color. 
C) the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up. 
D) a broken up cometary nucleus, hence their shiny appearance. 
E) deep space, far beyond the solar system, hence their unique crystal patterns. 
A) the core of a dense M-type asteroid, now broken up. 
B) Mars, hence their reddish color. 
C) the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up. 
D) a broken up cometary nucleus, hence their shiny appearance. 
E) deep space, far beyond the solar system, hence their unique crystal patterns.

Question 13

The tail of a comet always points:

Accepted Answer

A) toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion. 
B) toward Earth and never varies. 
C) away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion. 
D) away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion. 
E) in the direction of the comet's motion. 
A) toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion. 
B) toward Earth and never varies. 
C) away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion. 
D) away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion. 
E) in the direction of the comet's motion.

Question 14

Which of the following objects could be a protoplanet?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's Moon 
B) Vesta 
C) Pluto 
D) Ida 
E) Comet Halley 
A) Earth's Moon 
B) Vesta 
C) Pluto 
D) Ida 
E) Comet Halley

Question 15

Pluto gets closest to which planet?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter 
B) Saturn 
C) Uranus 
D) Neptune 
E) none of the above 
A) Jupiter 
B) Saturn 
C) Uranus 
D) Neptune 
E) none of the above

Question 16

Pluto's density is most similar to:

Accepted Answer

A) the terrestrial planets. 
B) the jovian planets. 
C) moons of the jovian planets. 
D) Mercury, but not Venus, Earth, or Mars. 
E) Saturn, but not Jupiter, Uranus, or Neptune. 
A) the terrestrial planets. 
B) the jovian planets. 
C) moons of the jovian planets. 
D) Mercury, but not Venus, Earth, or Mars. 
E) Saturn, but not Jupiter, Uranus, or Neptune.

Question 17

Eros is the only asteroid upon which a spacecraft has landed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Pluto is visible to the naked eye on extremely dark nights.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Small icy bodies in the solar system which travel about the Sun in highly eccentric orbits andcome from all directions are ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Small icy bodies in the solar system...

Question 20

The Oort Cloud is thought to be:

Accepted Answer

A) the cloud of gas and dust from which our solar system formed. 
B) a cloud of debris that occasionally encounters the Earth, causing a meteor shower. 
C) the spherical cloud of comets and some larger icy bodies surrounding the outer solar system. 
D) a cloud of asteroids moving between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
E) the material in the ecliptic plane that creates the zodiacal light. 
A) the cloud of gas and dust from which our solar system formed. 
B) a cloud of debris that occasionally encounters the Earth, causing a meteor shower. 
C) the spherical cloud of comets and some larger icy bodies surrounding the outer solar system. 
D) a cloud of asteroids moving between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
E) the material in the ecliptic plane that creates the zodiacal light.

Exam 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Most meteor showers occur ________, as we again intersect the comet's orbit.

Compared to Ida, Eros, and Gaspra, what was odd about Mathilde?

How does the discovery of a comet typically differ from that of an asteroid?

Based on its orbit, give two reasons to revoke Pluto's planetary status.

Which of the following gives direct information about the age of the solar system?

The orbits of most comets:

Will Pluto ever collide with Neptune? Why or why not?

The NASA orbiter that ultimately landed on the surface of the asteroid Eros was:

The Amor asteroids have orbits that:

What is the major change in Pluto's atmosphere as it orbits the Sun?

On its way to Jupiter, Galileo also gave us close-ups of:

Iron meteorites are believed to come from:

The tail of a comet always points:

Which of the following objects could be a protoplanet?

Pluto gets closest to which planet?

Pluto's density is most similar to:

Eros is the only asteroid upon which a spacecraft has landed.

Pluto is visible to the naked eye on extremely dark nights.

Small icy bodies in the solar system which travel about the Sun in highly eccentric orbits andcome from all directions are ________.

The Oort Cloud is thought to be:

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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