Question 1

Discovered by the spacecraft Galileo,Dactyl is a satellite of larger Ida.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

What is the typical size of most known asteroids?

Accepted Answer

A)  a few meters 
B)  a few kilometers 
C)  a few hundred kilometers 
D)  larger than the Moon 
E)  larger than the Earth 
A)  a few meters 
B)  a few kilometers 
C)  a few hundred kilometers 
D)  larger than the Moon 
E)  larger than the Earth

Question 3

Pluto's classification as a planet has been called into question.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Why were the mass and density of Pluto unknown until Charon was found?

Accepted Answer

Pluto is so distant that its disk was no

Question 5

Charon's orbit:

Accepted Answer

A)  lies exactly in Pluto's orbital plane. 
B)  is highly inclined to Pluto's orbital plane. 
C)  is perpendicular to Pluto's equator. 
D)  is retrograde. 
E)  has not been determined yet. 
A)  lies exactly in Pluto's orbital plane. 
B)  is highly inclined to Pluto's orbital plane. 
C)  is perpendicular to Pluto's equator. 
D)  is retrograde. 
E)  has not been determined yet.

Question 6

Pluto was discovered in:

Accepted Answer

A)  ancient times. 
B)  1789. 
C)  1859. 
D)  1930. 
E)  1992. 
A)  ancient times. 
B)  1789. 
C)  1859. 
D)  1930. 
E)  1992.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Asteroids and comets all orbit the Sun,s

Question 8

About what percent of all asteroids are S-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 9

The first hint of the role of asteroids in extinction of the dinosaurs came from:

Accepted Answer

A)  finding the huge crater in the Yucatan. 
B)  finding dinosaur fossils with meteorites imbedded in them. 
C)  finding a layer of worldwide iridium enriched dust. 
D)  finding that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and smart. 
E)  finding that no volcanic eruptions were linked to their disappearance. 
A)  finding the huge crater in the Yucatan. 
B)  finding dinosaur fossils with meteorites imbedded in them. 
C)  finding a layer of worldwide iridium enriched dust. 
D)  finding that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and smart. 
E)  finding that no volcanic eruptions were linked to their disappearance.

Question 10

The Perseid meteor shower gives us about a meteor every minute in mid:

Accepted Answer

A)  January. 
B)  May. 
C)  August. 
D)  October. 
E)  November. 
A)  January. 
B)  May. 
C)  August. 
D)  October. 
E)  November.

Question 11

Carbonaceous meteorites contain organic molecules,even amino acids.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Meteorites are valuable to astronomers because:

Accepted Answer

A)  they may provide evidence about the process in which the solar system was born. 
B)  they originated in other solar systems. 
C)  they contain diamonds and gold. 
D)  they reveal the contents of interstellar space. 
E)  they prove that life can only exist on the Earth. 
A)  they may provide evidence about the process in which the solar system was born. 
B)  they originated in other solar systems. 
C)  they contain diamonds and gold. 
D)  they reveal the contents of interstellar space. 
E)  they prove that life can only exist on the Earth.

Question 13

What is so unusual about Pluto's orbit?

Accepted Answer

A)  It lies exactly on the ecliptic. 
B)  It has the lowest eccentricity of any planet's orbit. 
C)  It is more inclined to the ecliptic than any of the eight planets. 
D)  It has an unexpectedly short orbital period. 
E)  It's orbital period is exactly twice that of Neptune's. 
A)  It lies exactly on the ecliptic. 
B)  It has the lowest eccentricity of any planet's orbit. 
C)  It is more inclined to the ecliptic than any of the eight planets. 
D)  It has an unexpectedly short orbital period. 
E)  It's orbital period is exactly twice that of Neptune's.

Question 14

Several objects were called planets when they were originally discovered,but are no longer called planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Why do researchers believe that asteroids in the asteroid belt are primal rocks that did not merge into a planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  The total mass of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is much smaller than that of any terrestrial planet in our solar system. 
B)  The differences in chemical compositions of the asteroids are too large for them to have originated in a single body. 
C)  Jupiter's gravity could have prevented these objects merging into a single body. 
D)  All of the above. 
E)  None of the above. 
A)  The total mass of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is much smaller than that of any terrestrial planet in our solar system. 
B)  The differences in chemical compositions of the asteroids are too large for them to have originated in a single body. 
C)  Jupiter's gravity could have prevented these objects merging into a single body. 
D)  All of the above. 
E)  None of the above.

Question 16

How did discovering the KBOs demote Pluto's planetary status?

Accepted Answer

If Pluto is a major planet,then many Kui

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

What type of meteorite is the most abundant? Most easily found? Why the difference?

Accepted Answer

Just as the S asteroids are most common,

Question 19

Pluto was named after the Roman god of the dark underworld,and also for ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pluto was named after the Roman god...

Question 20

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.

Exam 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Discovered by the spacecraft Galileo,Dactyl is a satellite of larger Ida.

What is the typical size of most known asteroids?

Pluto's classification as a planet has been called into question.

Why were the mass and density of Pluto unknown until Charon was found?

Charon's orbit:

Pluto was discovered in:

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

The first hint of the role of asteroids in extinction of the dinosaurs came from:

The Perseid meteor shower gives us about a meteor every minute in mid:

Carbonaceous meteorites contain organic molecules,even amino acids.

Meteorites are valuable to astronomers because:

What is so unusual about Pluto's orbit?

Several objects were called planets when they were originally discovered,but are no longer called planets.

Why do researchers believe that asteroids in the asteroid belt are primal rocks that did not merge into a planet?

How did discovering the KBOs demote Pluto's planetary status?

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

What type of meteorite is the most abundant? Most easily found? Why the difference?

Pluto was named after the Roman god of the dark underworld,and also for ________.

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

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: Earth's 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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