Question 1

Will Pluto collide eventually collide with Neptune?

Accepted Answer

A)  No because Pluto's orbit is completely outside Neptune's orbit. 
B)  No because Pluto's orbit is completely inside Neptune's orbit. 
C)  No because Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit. 
D)  No because the two planets have an orbital resonance that prevents them from colliding. 
E)  Yes. 
A)  No because Pluto's orbit is completely outside Neptune's orbit. 
B)  No because Pluto's orbit is completely inside Neptune's orbit. 
C)  No because Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit. 
D)  No because the two planets have an orbital resonance that prevents them from colliding. 
E)  Yes.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A)  A comet emits visible light and infrared light 
B)  A comet emits no light, but reflects visible light. 
C)  A comet emits infrared light and reflects visible light. 
D)  A comet emits visible light and reflects infrared light. 
A)  A comet emits visible light and infrared light 
B)  A comet emits no light, but reflects visible light. 
C)  A comet emits infrared light and reflects visible light. 
D)  A comet emits visible light and reflects infrared light.

Question 3

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.

Accepted Answer

You have returned to

Question 4

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

Accepted Answer

A)  A meteorite is usually covered with a dark crust from burning in Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  A meteorite usually has a high metal content. 
C)  Meteorites have different isotope ratios of particular elements when compared to terrestrial rocks. 
D)  Meteorites contain rare elements, such as iridium, that terrestrial rocks do not. 
E)  All of the above are true. 
A)  A meteorite is usually covered with a dark crust from burning in Earth's atmosphere. 
B)  A meteorite usually has a high metal content. 
C)  Meteorites have different isotope ratios of particular elements when compared to terrestrial rocks. 
D)  Meteorites contain rare elements, such as iridium, that terrestrial rocks do not. 
E)  All of the above are true.

Question 5

Why is Pluto now considered to be a Kuiper-belt object?

Accepted Answer

The distance, ellipticity, and inclinati

Question 6

Which statement about asteroids is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  If we could put all the asteroids together, they would make an object about the size of Earth. 
B)  Many but not all orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt. 
C)  Some are more like loosely bound piles of rubble than solid chunks of rock. 
D)  Most asteroids are not spherical in shape. 
A)  If we could put all the asteroids together, they would make an object about the size of Earth. 
B)  Many but not all orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt. 
C)  Some are more like loosely bound piles of rubble than solid chunks of rock. 
D)  Most asteroids are not spherical in shape.

Question 7

What part of a comet always points most directly away from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  the nucleus 
B)  the coma 
C)  the jets of gas 
D)  the plasma tail 
E)  the dust tail 
A)  the nucleus 
B)  the coma 
C)  the jets of gas 
D)  the plasma tail 
E)  the dust tail

Question 8

What is a meteorite?

Accepted Answer

A)  a streak of light caused by a star moving across the sky 
B)  a streak of light caused by a small particle from space burning up in Earth's atmosphere 
C)  a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that has fallen to Earth's surface 
D)  a small moon that orbits one of the giant planets 
E)  a comet that burns up in Earth's atmosphere 
A)  a streak of light caused by a star moving across the sky 
B)  a streak of light caused by a small particle from space burning up in Earth's atmosphere 
C)  a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that has fallen to Earth's surface 
D)  a small moon that orbits one of the giant planets 
E)  a comet that burns up in Earth's atmosphere

Question 9

What is Pluto's moon Charon thought to have in common with our own Moon?

Accepted Answer

A)  It probably formed as a result of a giant impact. 
B)  It has the same basic composition. 
C)  It has the same approximate mass. 
D)  It has the same average density. 
A)  It probably formed as a result of a giant impact. 
B)  It has the same basic composition. 
C)  It has the same approximate mass. 
D)  It has the same average density.

Question 10

Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt occur at distances where

Accepted Answer

A)  the density of asteroids is high enough for a large collision to pulverize a number of asteroids. 
B)  the period of an orbiting asteroid would be a simple fraction (like 1/3 or ¼) of Jupiter's orbital period. 
C)  the period of an orbiting asteroid would be the same as Jupiter's orbital period. 
D)  the period of an orbiting asteroid would be the same as Mars's orbital period. 
E)  the orbit would take the asteroid beyond the "frost line" in the solar system. 
A)  the density of asteroids is high enough for a large collision to pulverize a number of asteroids. 
B)  the period of an orbiting asteroid would be a simple fraction (like 1/3 or ¼) of Jupiter's orbital period. 
C)  the period of an orbiting asteroid would be the same as Jupiter's orbital period. 
D)  the period of an orbiting asteroid would be the same as Mars's orbital period. 
E)  the orbit would take the asteroid beyond the "frost line" in the solar system.

Question 11

Which direction do a comet's dust and plasma tails point?

Accepted Answer

A)  Generally away from the Sun 
B)  Straight behind the comet in its orbit 
C)  Perpendicular to the ecliptic plane 
D)  Always almost due north 
A)  Generally away from the Sun 
B)  Straight behind the comet in its orbit 
C)  Perpendicular to the ecliptic plane 
D)  Always almost due north

Question 12

Gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps) are caused by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  orbital resonances with Jupiter 
B)  tidal forces from the Sun 
C)  tidal forces from Jupiter 
D)  the competing gravitational tugs of Mars and Jupiter 
A)  orbital resonances with Jupiter 
B)  tidal forces from the Sun 
C)  tidal forces from Jupiter 
D)  the competing gravitational tugs of Mars and Jupiter

Question 13

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pluto orbits the Sun exactly two times for every three Neptune orbits, which ensures they never come close together. 
B)  Pluto is always much farther from the Sun than Neptune. 
C)  Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit. 
D)  Actually, a collision of the two is inevitable within the next billion years. 
A)  Pluto orbits the Sun exactly two times for every three Neptune orbits, which ensures they never come close together. 
B)  Pluto is always much farther from the Sun than Neptune. 
C)  Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit. 
D)  Actually, a collision of the two is inevitable within the next billion years.

Question 14

A spacecraft has captured and brought material to Earth from a comet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

How many moons is Pluto known to have?

Accepted Answer

A)  None 
B)  One 
C)  Two 
D)  Three 
E)  Four 
A)  None 
B)  One 
C)  Two 
D)  Three 
E)  Four

Question 16

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.

Accepted Answer

If Jupiter had never existed, its gravit

Question 17

Can rocks fall from the sky? Many astronomers resisted the idea that rocks could fall from the sky until undeniable eyewitness testimony was available. (The tide turned in 1803 when several thousand stone fragments fell to the ground near L'Aigle, France, in the presence of hundreds of witnesses). Suppose that, for whatever reason, no meteorite falls could ever be witnessed. Would it still be possible to make the scientific case that some rocks on the Earth had to have fallen from interplanetary space? How would you make this case?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it would still be possible to make

Question 18

Suppose that large jovian planets had never formed in our solar system. Which of the following would most likely be true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Neither the asteroid belt nor Oort cloud would exist. 
B)  Earth would have suffered far fewer impacts. 
C)  There would be a large empty region in our solar system between the orbit of Mars and the Kuiper belt. 
D)  Earth would orbit much closer to the Sun. 
A)  Neither the asteroid belt nor Oort cloud would exist. 
B)  Earth would have suffered far fewer impacts. 
C)  There would be a large empty region in our solar system between the orbit of Mars and the Kuiper belt. 
D)  Earth would orbit much closer to the Sun.

Question 19

The Oort Cloud: The objects in the Oort Cloud are frozen "snowballs", each a few kilometers across, seen at a distance of approximately 100,000 astronomical units. What do you think the potential is to directly observe (via some sort of telescope or directly visit (via a space mission) an object in the Oort cloud? Do you think that the existence of this component of the solar system is less well established than other components, such as the Kuiper Belt? What role does the solar nebular theory for the formation of the solar system play in supporting the existence of the Oort Cloud?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Oort Cloud: The objects in the...

Question 20

Why do asteroids and comets differ in composition?

Accepted Answer

A)  Asteroids formed inside the frost line, while comets formed outside. 
B)  Asteroids and comets formed at different times. 
C)  Comets formed from the jovian nebula, while asteroids did not. 
D)  Comets are much larger than asteroids. 
E)  Asteroids are much larger than comets. 
A)  Asteroids formed inside the frost line, while comets formed outside. 
B)  Asteroids and comets formed at different times. 
C)  Comets formed from the jovian nebula, while asteroids did not. 
D)  Comets are much larger than asteroids. 
E)  Asteroids are much larger than comets.

Will Pluto collide eventually collide with Neptune?

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

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

Why is Pluto now considered to be a Kuiper-belt object?

Which statement about asteroids is not true?

What part of a comet always points most directly away from the Sun?

What is a meteorite?

What is Pluto's moon Charon thought to have in common with our own Moon?

Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt occur at distances where

Which direction do a comet's dust and plasma tails point?

Gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps) are caused by ________.

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

A spacecraft has captured and brought material to Earth from a comet.

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.

Suppose that large jovian planets had never formed in our solar system. Which of the following would most likely be true?

Why do asteroids and comets differ in composition?

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

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

Will Pluto collide eventually collide with Neptune?

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

What characteristic distinguishes a meteorite from a terrestrial rock?

Why is Pluto now considered to be a Kuiper-belt object?

Which statement about asteroids is not true?

What part of a comet always points most directly away from the Sun?

What is a meteorite?

What is Pluto's moon Charon thought to have in common with our own Moon?

Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt occur at distances where

Which direction do a comet's dust and plasma tails point?

Gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps) are caused by ________.

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

A spacecraft has captured and brought material to Earth from a comet.

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.

Suppose that large jovian planets had never formed in our solar system. Which of the following would most likely be true?

Why do asteroids and comets differ in composition?

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

Filters