Question 1

Remnants of volcanic activity on the asteroid Vesta indicate that members of the asteroid belt:

Accepted Answer

A)  were once part of a single protoplanet that was shattered by collisions 
B)  have all undergone significant chemical evolution since formation 
C)  occasionally grow large enough to become differentiated and geologically active 
D)  were once a part of a young Mars 
E)  used to be volcanic moons orbiting other planets 
A)  were once part of a single protoplanet that was shattered by collisions 
B)  have all undergone significant chemical evolution since formation 
C)  occasionally grow large enough to become differentiated and geologically active 
D)  were once a part of a young Mars 
E)  used to be volcanic moons orbiting other planets

Question 2

The most common type of meteorites are:

Accepted Answer

A)  stony meteorites 
B)  iron meteorites 
C)  achondrite meteorites 
D)  stony-iron meteorites 
E)  carbonaceous chondrite meteorites 
A)  stony meteorites 
B)  iron meteorites 
C)  achondrite meteorites 
D)  stony-iron meteorites 
E)  carbonaceous chondrite meteorites

Question 3

Assume the larger circle shown below is the Sun, and the smaller circle is the head of a comet. If the comet is moving AWAY from the Sun, draw and label the two tails onto the comet.

Accepted Answer

Both tails should be pointing

Question 4

A large meteor shower will often occur once a year because:

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth typically has one large volcanic eruption every year 
B)  the Earth's orbit passes through the Apollo asteroid belt 
C)  the Sun goes through a yearly solar cycle 
D)  Jupiter routinely disturbs the orbits of asteroids in the Jovian belt 
E)  the Earth passes through the debris left behind by a specific comet 
A)  Earth typically has one large volcanic eruption every year 
B)  the Earth's orbit passes through the Apollo asteroid belt 
C)  the Sun goes through a yearly solar cycle 
D)  Jupiter routinely disturbs the orbits of asteroids in the Jovian belt 
E)  the Earth passes through the debris left behind by a specific comet

Question 5

Consider a small comet nucleus, whose diameter is 1 km and mass is 5 * 1011 kg, hitting the Earth head-on, traveling at a speed of 1,000 m/s. How many times larger or smaller is the comet's kinetic energy compared to that of a typical train pulling 20 boxcars whose total mass is 2 * 106 kg and speed is 25 m/s?

Accepted Answer

Kinetic energy is equal to 1/2mv^2</

Question 6

Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites are fragments of which type of asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  A-type 
B)  C-type 
C)  M-type 
D)  Q-type 
E)  S-type 
A)  A-type 
B)  C-type 
C)  M-type 
D)  Q-type 
E)  S-type

Question 7

Identify the object in the picture below.

Accepted Answer

A)  a meteor 
B)  a chondrite meteorite 
C)  an achondrite meteorite 
D)  an iron meteorite 
E)  an asteroid 
A)  a meteor 
B)  a chondrite meteorite 
C)  an achondrite meteorite 
D)  an iron meteorite 
E)  an asteroid

Question 8

In 1994, dozens of fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with:

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  the Earth 
C)  Neptune 
D)  the Moon 
E)  Saturn 
A)  Jupiter 
B)  the Earth 
C)  Neptune 
D)  the Moon 
E)  Saturn

Question 9

Eris, Ceres, and Haumea are examples of:

Accepted Answer

A)  asteroids 
B)  dwarf planets 
C)  meteoroids 
D)  comets 
E)  meteor showers 
A)  asteroids 
B)  dwarf planets 
C)  meteoroids 
D)  comets 
E)  meteor showers

Question 10

Identify the object in the picture below.

Accepted Answer

A)  an active comet 
B)  a meteor shower 
C)  a meteorite 
D)  an asteroid 
E)  zodiacal dust 
A)  an active comet 
B)  a meteor shower 
C)  a meteorite 
D)  an asteroid 
E)  zodiacal dust

Question 11

Pluto is composed primarily of rock.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The minimum size of a meteoroid that is capable of surviving its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and hitting the ground is about as big as:

Accepted Answer

A)  a car 
B)  a house 
C)  a basketball 
D)  a grain of sand 
E)  your fist 
A)  a car 
B)  a house 
C)  a basketball 
D)  a grain of sand 
E)  your fist

Question 13

A comet having an orbit of 50 years would likely have come from the:

Accepted Answer

A)  Atens family 
B)  Oort Cloud 
C)  Trojan family 
D)  zodiacal zone 
E)  Kuiper Belt 
A)  Atens family 
B)  Oort Cloud 
C)  Trojan family 
D)  zodiacal zone 
E)  Kuiper Belt

Question 14

With a semimajor axis of 18 AU, Comet Halley has a period of:

Accepted Answer

A)  7 years 
B)  16 years 
C)  32 years 
D)  67 years 
E)  76 years 
A)  7 years 
B)  16 years 
C)  32 years 
D)  67 years 
E)  76 years

Question 15

When a comet comes close to the Sun, its volatile ice sublimates and transforms directly from the solid to _________ phase.

Accepted Answer

A)  liquid 
B)  crystalline 
C)  energized 
D)  gas 
E)  ionized 
A)  liquid 
B)  crystalline 
C)  energized 
D)  gas 
E)  ionized

Question 16

Most asteroids are located between the orbits of:

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth and Mars 
B)  Mars and Jupiter 
C)  Jupiter and Saturn 
D)  Neptune and Pluto 
E)  the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud 
A)  Earth and Mars 
B)  Mars and Jupiter 
C)  Jupiter and Saturn 
D)  Neptune and Pluto 
E)  the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud

Question 17

The nuclei of a comet is mostly:

Accepted Answer

A)  solid ice 
B)  solid rock 
C)  liquid water 
D)  a porous mix of ice and dust 
E)  frozen carbon dioxide 
A)  solid ice 
B)  solid rock 
C)  liquid water 
D)  a porous mix of ice and dust 
E)  frozen carbon dioxide

Question 18

The mass of Pluto is approximately 100 times less than that of Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Comets have highly eccentric orbits, with eccentricities of 0.95-0.99 being common. Suppose a certain comet has an eccentricity of 0.99. If the semimajor axis of its orbit is 2,500 AU, what will be its distance at perihelion and at aphelion? Is this most likely a Kuiper Belt object or an Oort Cloud comet? (Note: For an ellipse, a(1+e) is the distance from one focus to the farther edge of the long axis and a(1 - e) is the distance from the same focus to the closer edge of the long axis.)

Accepted Answer

Aphelion is the point of farthest approa

Question 20

Astronomers can use the speed and direction of a cometary meteor's flight to identify its parent comet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 12: Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Remnants of volcanic activity on the asteroid Vesta indicate that members of the asteroid belt:

The most common type of meteorites are:

Assume the larger circle shown below is the Sun, and the smaller circle is the head of a comet. If the comet is moving AWAY from the Sun, draw and label the two tails onto the comet.

A large meteor shower will often occur once a year because:

Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites are fragments of which type of asteroid?

Identify the object in the picture below.

In 1994, dozens of fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with:

Eris, Ceres, and Haumea are examples of:

Identify the object in the picture below.

Pluto is composed primarily of rock.

The minimum size of a meteoroid that is capable of surviving its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and hitting the ground is about as big as:

A comet having an orbit of 50 years would likely have come from the:

With a semimajor axis of 18 AU, Comet Halley has a period of:

When a comet comes close to the Sun, its volatile ice sublimates and transforms directly from the solid to _________ phase.

Most asteroids are located between the orbits of:

The nuclei of a comet is mostly:

The mass of Pluto is approximately 100 times less than that of Earth.

Astronomers can use the speed and direction of a cometary meteor's flight to identify its parent comet.

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters