Exam 12: Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

The mass of all the known asteroids combined is approximately equal to:

Most asteroids are found in orbit around the Sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.

How might impacts have helped increase Earth's water supply in the early history of the Solar System?

The most common type of meteorites found are iron meteorites.

What does the existence of M-type asteroids tell us about their origin?

Eris is classified as an asteroid even though its mass is 28 percent larger than Pluto's mass.

The dwarf planet Eris has a moon called Dysomia, which is much smaller in mass than Eris. If Dysomia has an orbital period of 16 days and orbits Eris at a distance of 40,000 km, then what is the mass of Eris?

Cometary nuclei provide evidence that the ingredients necessary for the creation of life were present in the early solar nebula.

Give examples of a C-type asteroid and an S-type asteroid that have been observed by spacecraft. What did we learn about each type?

Which group of asteroids regularly crosses Earth's orbit and thus might possibly collide with our planet?

Antarctica is the best hunting ground for meteorites for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet because:

Consider a meteoroid with a diameter of 10 cm and a mass of 2 kg that hits the Earth head-on while traveling at a speed of 25,000 m/s. How many times larger or smaller is the meteoroid's kinetic energy compared to that of a typical train whose mass is 2 * 10⁶ kg and speed is 25 m/s?

In its 1986 trip around the Sun, it was estimated that Comet Halley lost approximately 100 billion kg of material. The total mass of the nucleus was estimated to be 3*10¹⁴ kg. Assuming the mass loss rate is constant with each passage, and assuming the nucleus remains intact until there is nothing left, how many more times will we see Comet Halley? Explain why your answer is an upper limit.

Currently the surface of the dwarf planet Eris is covered with _________, which makes it have the highest albedo of any object in the Solar System.

Why does a comet usually have two tails, one that is straight and one that is curved? What materials compose each tail, and why do they have different shapes?

Describe two modern-day (within the past 150 years) events when comets or asteroids collided with a planet. Cite the planet, and describe the major consequences of the collision.

Which group of meteorites represents the conditions in the earliest stages of the formation of the Solar System?

How is it possible for the tail of a comet to actually move ahead of the comet itself?

Why do long-period comets usually put on a much more visually spectacular display than short-period comets?