Question 1

Primitive meteorites can be distinguished from other meteorites and terrestrial rocks because they

Accepted Answer

A)  contain a noticeable fraction of pure metallic flakes.
B)  resemble the composition of Earth's core.
C)  contain a lot of iron and were used by humans to make iron tools.
D)  resemble the composition of Earth's mantle.
E)  resemble the composition of rocks from lava flows that occurred on asteroids very shortly after the formation of the solar system.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth would have suffered far fewer impacts.
B)  Neither the asteroid belt nor Oort cloud would exist.
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 3

In what ways is Pluto like other Kuiper-belt objects?

Accepted Answer

Many Kuiper-belt objects lie in stable o...

Question 4

Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pluto's orbit is completely outside Neptune's orbit.
B)  Pluto's orbit is completely inside Neptune's orbit.
C)  Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit.
D)  The two planets have an orbital resonance that prevents them from colliding.
E)  It could!

Question 5

Process of Science: Explain how observations of asteroids,comets,and meteorites test our theory for the formation of the solar system in unique ways that are not possible through observations of the planets.

Accepted Answer

Asteroids,comets,and meteorites are the ...

Question 6

Why do models suggest that Uranus and Neptune formed elsewhere?

Accepted Answer

A)  We do not have very good models.
B)  The density of materials was too low in their current orbits for the ice giants to have formed there.
C)  Jupiter and Saturn took up most of the material in the area;Uranus and Neptune must have formed elsewhere.
D)  It is too cold at their current locations for the ice giants to have formed there.

Question 7

Why do we sometimes observe asteroids at the distances of the gaps in the asteroid belt?

Accepted Answer

A)  A gap is located at an average orbital distance,and asteroid orbits often have large eccentricities.
B)  Jupiter's gravitational tugs keep them there.
C)  They are held in place by resonances with other asteroids.
D)  They are kept in place by shepherding asteroids.
E)  Actually,we never see asteroids in the gaps.

Question 8

Suppose there were no solar wind.How would the appearance of a comet in our inner solar system be different?

Accepted Answer

A)  It would have only one tail instead of two.
B)  It would not have a coma.
C)  It would not have a nucleus.
D)  It would be much brighter in appearance.

Question 9

The large gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps) are caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  large asteroids that clear certain regions of the asteroid belt.
B)  tidal forces from Jupiter.
C)  tidal forces from the Sun.
D)  orbital resonances with Jupiter.
E)  the competing gravitational tugs of Mars and Jupiter.

Question 10

How are asteroid masses measured?

Accepted Answer

Asteroid masses can be determined only i...

Question 11

Process of Science: Why did astronomers identify Pluto as a planet from its discovery? What scientific evidence led to its reclassification?

Accepted Answer

Pluto was a large object in the solar sy...

Question 12

What part of a comet 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

Question 13

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.

Question 14

The total number of comets orbiting the Sun is estimated to be about

Accepted Answer

A)  1 trillion.
B)  1,000.
C)  100,000.
D)  1 million.

Question 15

All meteorites collected on Earth come from asteroids or comets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Which of the following objects are probably not located in the same region of the solar system in which they originally formed?

Accepted Answer

A)  Kuiper belt comets
B)  Oort cloud comets
C)  asteroids of the asteroid belt
D)  Pluto

Question 17

No spacecraft has ever visited an asteroid or comet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Viewed from Pluto,the Sun would appear more than a thousand times fainter than on Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

When you see the bright flash of a meteor,what are you actually seeing?

Accepted Answer

A)  emission of visible light from a particle that has not yet entered Earth's atmosphere
B)  the glow from a pea-size particle and the surrounding air as the particle burns up in our atmosphere
C)  a star that has suddenly shot across the sky
D)  the flash that occurs when a speeding rock from space hits the ground

Question 20

Which of the following statements best describes the size of the largest asteroid,Ceres?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is about the size of a terrestrial planet.
B)  It is smaller than the jovian planets but larger than the terrestrial planets.
C)  It is a little less than half the diameter of our Moon.
D)  It is no larger than a typical mountain on one of the terrestrial planets.

Exam 12: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Primitive meteorites can be distinguished from other meteorites and terrestrial rocks because they

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When you see the bright flash of a meteor,what are you actually seeing?

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Which of the following statements best describes the size of the largest asteroid,Ceres?

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The large gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps) are caused by

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why do models suggest that Uranus and Neptune formed elsewhere?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Suppose there were no solar wind.How would the appearance of a comet in our inner solar system be different?

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All meteorites collected on Earth come from asteroids or comets.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Process of Science: Why did astronomers identify Pluto as a planet from its discovery? What scientific evidence led to its reclassification?

Correct AnswerverifiedPluto was a large object in the solar sy...View AnswerShow Answer

Viewed from Pluto,the Sun would appear more than a thousand times fainter than on Earth.

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In what ways is Pluto like other Kuiper-belt objects?

Correct AnswerverifiedMany Kuiper-belt objects lie in stable o...View AnswerShow Answer

No spacecraft has ever visited an asteroid or comet.

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Why won't Pluto collide with Neptune?

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How are asteroid masses measured?

Correct AnswerverifiedAsteroid masses can be determined only i...View AnswerShow Answer

Why do we sometimes observe asteroids at the distances of the gaps in the asteroid belt?

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

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The total number of comets orbiting the Sun is estimated to be about

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Process of Science: Explain how observations of asteroids,comets,and meteorites test our theory for the formation of the solar system in unique ways that are not possible through observations of the planets.

Correct AnswerverifiedAsteroids,comets,and meteorites are the ...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following objects are probably not located in the same region of the solar system in which they originally formed?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Pluto was a large object in the solar sy...
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Many Kuiper-belt objects lie in stable o...
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Asteroid masses can be determined only i...
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Asteroids,comets,and meteorites are the ...
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