Question 1

Halley's comet is named after the English scientist Edmund Halley because he

Accepted Answer

A)  discovered it.
B)  was the first to see it in 1682.
C)  calculated its orbit and predicted that it would return in 1758.
D)  was the most famous astronomer in England during its appearance.
E)  was the first to publish pictures of it and report it to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) .F) A) and B)
G) B) and E)

Question 2

All asteroids are spherical solid objects,similar to the Moon and Mercury,just much smaller.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Why didn't a planet form where the asteroid belt is now located?

Accepted Answer

A)  There was not enough material in this part of the solar nebula to form a planet.
B)  Gravitational tugs from Jupiter prevented material from collecting together to form a planet.
C)  There was too much rocky material to form a terrestrial planet,but not enough gaseous material to form a jovian planet.
D)  The temperature in this portion of the solar nebula was just right to prevent rock from sticking together.E) C) and D)
F) All of the above

Question 4

The discovery of Eris

Accepted Answer

A)  was surprising,since we thought we knew about all large objects in the solar system.
B)  was not surprising,because other Kuiper belt objects approaching the size of Pluto had already been discovered.
C)  was surprising,due to its "backwards" orbit around the Sun.
D)  was not surprising,because the existence of a massive "Planet X" had been predicted nearly a century ago.E) A) and C)
F) B) and D)

Question 5

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.F) C) and D)
G) B) and D)

Question 6

Comet nuclei can be darker than charcoal.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

When do comets generally begin to form a tail?

Accepted Answer

A)  inside Mercury's orbit
B)  between Mercury and Earth's orbit
C)  beyond Jupiter's orbit
D)  inside of Jupiter's orbit
E)  They always have a tail (until they run out of material) .F) B) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 8

Explain how astronomers determine the size of an asteroid without resolving it.

Accepted Answer

The brightness of an asteroid depends on...

Question 9

How does the largest asteroid,Ceres,compare in size to other solar system worlds?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is larger than Pluto and Mercury.
B)  It is about the size of a large jovian moon.
C)  It is about the size of Pluto.
D)  It is about a quarter the size of the Moon.
E)  It is smaller than any jovian moon.F) A) and B)
G) None of the above

Question 10

On average,how often do impactors about 10 km in size,large enough to produce mass extinction,hit Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  once every century
B)  once every thousand years
C)  once every million years
D)  once every hundred million years
E)  once in Earth's historyF) B) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 11

Pluto is the largest Kuiper Belt Object.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

When a comet passes near the Sun,part of it takes on the appearance of a large,bright ball from which the tail extends.This part is called

Accepted Answer

A)  the nucleus.
B)  the coma.
C)  the plasma tail.
D)  the Oort core.E) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is not a piece of evidence supporting the idea that Pluto is a large comet of the Kuiper belt?

Accepted Answer

A)  Pluto's composition appears to match that of other known Kuiper belt comets.
B)  Triton,which must once have orbited the Sun before being captured by Neptune,is significantly larger than Pluto.
C)  Pluto grows a coma and a long tail when it is at the point in its orbit closest to the Sun.
D)  Pluto's orbit is very similar to the orbits of other known Kuiper belt comets.
E)  Pluto is not the largest object orbiting in the region of the Kuiper belt.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 14

Meteorites can come from

Accepted Answer

A)  the cores of asteroids.
B)  the Moon.
C)  Mars.
D)  comets.
E)  all of the aboveF) C) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 15

Why does the plasma tail of a comet always point away from the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  The solar wind electromagnetically "blows" the ions directly away from the Sun.
B)  Radiation pressure from the Sun's light pushes the ions away.
C)  The conservation of the angular momentum of the tail keeps it always pointing away from the Sun.
D)  Gases from the comet,heated by the Sun,push the tail away from the Sun.
E)  It is allergic to sunlight.F) C) and D)
G) C) and E)

Question 16

According to current evidence,Pluto is best explained as

Accepted Answer

A)  a large member of the Kuiper belt.
B)  a terrestrial planet that is surprisingly far from the Sun.
C)  a very small jovian planet.
D)  an escaped moon of Jupiter or Saturn.E) B) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 17

The total mass of the Kuiper belt is greater than that of the asteroid belt.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

When was Pluto discovered?

Accepted Answer

A)  about 30 years ago
B)  about 80 years ago
C)  about 200 years ago
D)  about 2000 years ago
E)  in ancient historyF) None of the above
G) C) and E)

Question 19

A rocky leftover planetesimal orbiting the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A)  a comet.
B)  a meteor.
C)  an asteroid.
D)  a meteorite.
E)  possibly any of the aboveF) B) and D)
G) A) and D)

Question 20

Where did comets that are now in the Oort cloud originally form?

Accepted Answer

A)  near the jovian planets
B)  outside Neptune's orbit
C)  inside Jupiter's orbit
D)  within the solar nebula,but far outside the orbit of Pluto
E)  all of the aboveF) None of the above
G) A) and D)

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

When do comets generally begin to form a tail?

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A rocky leftover planetesimal orbiting the Sun is

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Pluto is the largest Kuiper Belt Object.

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Meteorites can come from

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On average,how often do impactors about 10 km in size,large enough to produce mass extinction,hit Earth?

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The discovery of Eris

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Where did comets that are now in the Oort cloud originally form?

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Which of the following is not a piece of evidence supporting the idea that Pluto is a large comet of the Kuiper belt?

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According to current evidence,Pluto is best explained as

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Why do asteroids and comets differ in composition?

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Why does the plasma tail of a comet always point away from the Sun?

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Halley's comet is named after the English scientist Edmund Halley because he

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All asteroids are spherical solid objects,similar to the Moon and Mercury,just much smaller.

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Explain how astronomers determine the size of an asteroid without resolving it.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe brightness of an asteroid depends on...View AnswerShow Answer

When a comet passes near the Sun,part of it takes on the appearance of a large,bright ball from which the tail extends.This part is called

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Comet nuclei can be darker than charcoal.

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Why didn't a planet form where the asteroid belt is now located?

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The total mass of the Kuiper belt is greater than that of the asteroid belt.

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When was Pluto discovered?

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How does the largest asteroid,Ceres,compare in size to other solar system worlds?

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The brightness of an asteroid depends on...
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