Deck 15: Small Solar System Bodies

Question 1

Most of the asteroids are located between the orbits of

A)Venus and Earth
B)Earth and Mars
C)Mars and Jupiter
D)Jupiter and Saturn

Answer 1

Mars and Jupiter

Question 2

Impact craters

A)Appear to have never been produced on the Earth
B)Are observed only on the Moon
C)Appear to be a widespread solar system phenomenon
D)Were caused by volcanic caldera

Answer 2

Appear to be a widespread solar system phenomenon

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the material that makes up the nucleus of a comet?

A)Rocky
B)Gaseous
C)Dirty ice
D)Metallic crystals

Answer 3

Dirty ice

Question 4

Why is it important that new comets enter the planetary system on elliptical orbits rather than parabolic orbits?

A)It shows that they aren't just intruders from interstellar space
B)Objects on elliptical orbits travel faster than those on parabolic orbits
C)It makes it possible to predict their paths through the planetary system
D)It makes them less likely to hit one of the planets

Question 5

Which of the following would not be a result of the Earth being struck by an asteroid several km in diameter or larger?

A)The Earth would be moved farther from the Sun by the impact
B)Dust cloud that would block out sunlight
C)Concentrated acid rain
D)A thermal pulse as ejected material reentered the atmosphere

Question 6

A comet's nucleus is ____ in diameter.

A)A few meters
B)A few kilometers
C)A few hundred km
D)About 100,000 km
E)Up to 1 AU

Question 7

Which of the following is the reason that Comet Halley is observed to be much more spectacular at some appearances than at others?

A)The size of its nucleus varies greatly from one appearance to another
B)The shape of its orbit varies greatly with time
C)Its observability near perihelion depends on the time of year
D)During some appearances it has been hidden behind other planets

Question 8

Which of the following is good evidence that the asteroids are not the remains of a shattered planet?

A)No fossils have been found in meteorites
B)Meteorites appear to have cooled off quickly
C)Nothing can shatter a planet
D)Most asteroids have smooth rather than jagged surfaces

Question 9

What kind of bodies make up the Oort cloud?

A)Rocky bodies,like asteroids
B)Icy bodies
C)Very small solid bodies,like interplanetary dust particles
D)Brown dwarf stars

Question 10

Most Apollo asteroids will be destroyed eventually by

A)Complete evaporation of their ices
B)Falling into the sun
C)Collisions with other asteroids
D)Collision with a planet

Question 11

When happens to the tail and coma of a comet after the comet passes perihelion?

A)They shrink
B)They continue to grow until the comet passes 1 AU
C)They detach from the comet
D)They disappear until the comet is far from the Sun again

Question 12

What is distinctive about the Apollo asteroids?

A)They share Jupiter's orbit
B)Their orbits cross that of the Earth
C)They are the largest asteroids
D)They do not have elliptical orbits

Question 13

Which part of a comet is the only one that exists when the comet is far from the Sun?

A)The nucleus
B)The dust tail
C)The ion tail
D)The coma

Question 14

If the Earth were struck by an asteroid 10 km in diameter,which of the following would have the most serious consequences for life on Earth?

A)The huge crater produced by the collision
B)The atmospheric shock wave
C)The dust cloud raised by the impact
D)Molten rock brought to the surface of the Earth

Question 15

Where are the Trojan asteroids located?

A)In orbit about the Sun at Jupiter's distance
B)In orbit about planets
C)In the middle of the asteroid belt
D)In orbits that cross that of the Earth

Question 16

What eventually happens to most short-period comets?

A)They collide with the Sun
B)They are captured by Jupiter
C)The ice in their nuclei completely evaporates
D)They become asteroids

Question 17

Approximately how large must a meteoroid be in order to survive passage through the atmosphere and reach the ground as a meteorite?

A)As big as a fist
B)As big as a penny
C)As big as an automobile
D)As big as a house

Question 18

Comets in the Oort cloud are occasionally deflected into the inner solar system by

A)Passing stars
B)Jupiter
C)The sun
D)Wandering asteroids

Question 19

The orbits of long period comets are

A)Circular
B)Close to the ecliptic.
C)Randomly oriented with respect to the ecliptic
D)Similar to the planetary orbits
E)Always prograde,but with high eccentricities

Question 20

How do we know that the "new" comets are members of the solar system and not just interstellar objects passing near the Sun?

A)They follow parabolic orbits
B)They follow elliptical orbits
C)They follow circular orbits
D)They follow hyperbolic orbits

Question 21

This is an object that is burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

A)Meteoroid
B)Comet
C)Meteorite
D)Meteor

Question 22

This is a dirty ice ball,usually found in the outer solar system.

A)Asteroid
B)Comet
C)Meteor
D)Meteorite

Question 23

Why do meteors seem to come from the same point in the sky (the radiant)during a meteor shower?

A)They are fragments of an explosion in the atmosphere
B)They are following similar orbits through space
C)They only become visible when they reach altitudes of a few hundred km
D)They hit Earth after being ejected from the Moon by impacts

Question 24

This is an object from space that strikes the Earth's surface.

A)Meteoroid
B)Comet
C)Meteorite
D)Meteor

Question 25

Until recently why were most meteorite finds irons?

A)Most objects that fall to Earth are irons
B)Irons are recognizable as meteorites long after they fall
C)Most searches for meteorites have used magnets
D)Irons remain very hot long after they fall

Question 26

A large asteroid or comet should produce a 100 km crater once every __________ years?

A)100,000
B)5 million
C)50 million
D)500 million

Question 27

This is a small asteroid moving through space.

A)Meteor
B)Meteoriod
C)Meteorite
D)Comet fragment

Question 28

The zodiacal light is caused by

A)Emission from hot interplanetary gas
B)Sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust
C)Charged particles in the Earth's atmosphere
D)Comets too small to be seen individually

Question 29

Why is the meteor shower seen in mid December called the Geminids?

A)The shower occurs during the month when the sun is in Gemini
B)The meteors are fragments of a body from a star in Gemini
C)The radiant of the shower is located in Gemini
D)The shower was mentioned in a myth about Gemini,the twins

Question 30

What type of meteorite makes up the great majority of meteorite falls?

A)Stony-irons
B)Irons
C)Stones
D)Radiants

Question 31

The tail of a comet ____________________ .

A)always follows the comet.
B)always leads the comet.
C)always points away from the Sun.
D)always points toward the Sun.

Question 32

Most meteorites are

A)Pieces of comets
B)Pieces of planets
C)Interstellar debris
D)Asteroidal debris

Question 33

Short period comets have what origin?

A)Long period comets that have been deflected into a short period orbit by a large planet.
B)Close approach of a nearby star,deflecting objects into short period orbits.
C)Interaction of an asteroid with the planet Jupiter.
D)Long period comets have their orbits deflected into a short period orbit by the Sun.