Question 1

What is the closest thing to a binary planet we find in the solar system? Why?

Accepted Answer

Pluto's moon Charon is half as

Question 2

The three largest asteroids are:

Accepted Answer

A)  Pluto, Sedna, and Quaoar. 
B)  Deimos, Phobos, and Athos. 
C)  Ida, Gaspra, and Mathilde. 
D)  Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. 
E)  Halley, Hale-Bopp, and Hyakutake. 
A)  Pluto, Sedna, and Quaoar. 
B)  Deimos, Phobos, and Athos. 
C)  Ida, Gaspra, and Mathilde. 
D)  Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. 
E)  Halley, Hale-Bopp, and Hyakutake.

Question 3

Discovered in the 1990s,the ________ is a vaster,darker version of the more famed asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discovered in the 1990s,the ________ is a...

Question 4

The asteroid belt is believed to be debris left over from the age of formation of the solar system; 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 5

Which of the following objects never collide with the 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 6

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

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 8

We now recognize that the largest Kuiper Belt Object could be ________,discovered almost a century ago.

Accepted Answer

The answer of We now recognize that the largest Kuiper...

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

Most comets are discovered when their coma develops,giving them a fuzzy appearance instead of stellar such as asteroids.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

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 12

Meteor showers result when asteroids collide and this debris showers the inner solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Halley's Comet last passed Earth in 1986.It will be due back in:

Accepted Answer

A)  2012. 
B)  2048. 
C)  2061. 
D)  2086. 
E)  the twenty-third century. 
A)  2012. 
B)  2048. 
C)  2061. 
D)  2086. 
E)  the twenty-third century.

Question 14

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.

Exam 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

What is the closest thing to a binary planet we find in the solar system? Why?

The three largest asteroids are:

Discovered in the 1990s,the ________ is a vaster,darker version of the more famed asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

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

Which of the following objects never collide with the Earth?

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

The Kuiper Belt objects have orbits that:

We now recognize that the largest Kuiper Belt Object could be ________,discovered almost a century ago.

The Amor asteroids have orbits that:

Most comets are discovered when their coma develops,giving them a fuzzy appearance instead of stellar such as asteroids.

The tail of a comet always points:

Meteor showers result when asteroids collide and this debris showers the inner solar system.

Halley's Comet last passed Earth in 1986.It will be due back in:

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

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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