Deck 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Question 1

The asteroid Vesta seems to have once been volcanically active, amazing for its small size.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

All known asteroids can be found in the asteroid belt.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Typically, no more than a couple dozen potentially hazardous asteroids approach the Earth asclose as 0.05 A.U. each decade.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Pluto's orbit takes it closer to the Sun than Neptune for part of its orbit.

Question 5

Discovered by the spacecraft Galileo, Dactyl is a satellite of larger Ida.

Question 6

Pluto is visible to the naked eye on extremely dark nights.

Question 7

The asteroids Gaspra, Ida, and Vesta all have surfaces that date back to the formation ofplanetesimals in the early solar system.

Question 8

Asteroids can be piles of rubble, as well as solid objects.

Question 9

Most asteroids are differentiated, as reflected by their spherical shapes.

Question 10

Pluto is smaller than many moons in the solar system.

Question 11

Rosetta, Giotto, Vega 2 and Stardust are all spacecraft that visited (made a close approach orlanded on)comets.

Question 12

The Kirkwood Gaps in the asteroid belt are due to resonances with Jupiter.

Question 13

Eros is the only asteroid upon which a spacecraft has landed.

Question 14

Most comets are discovered when their coma develops, giving them a fuzzy appearanceinstead of stellar such as asteroids.

Question 15

Both Ceres and Pluto were originally classified as planets, but are now classified as dwarfplanets.

Question 16

Several objects were called planets when they were originally discovered, but are no longercalled planets.

Question 17

New Horizons is the only spacecraft to make a soft landing on a comet.

Question 18

The planet that Pluto gets closest to is Neptune.

Question 19

Asteroids are similar in composition, leading scientists to suspect that they formed from thebreakup of a single large object, such as a planet.

Question 20

Triton and Pluto both probably originated in the Kuiper Belt.

Question 21

In addition to the asteroid belt, some meteorites come from the Moon and even Mars.

Question 22

Pluto has 3 known moons: Charon, Hydra and Nix.

Question 23

Meteor showers result when asteroids collide and this debris showers the inner solar system.

Question 24

The NASA orbiter that ultimately landed on the surface of the asteroid Eros was:

A)New Horizons.
B)Giotto.
C)Stardust.
D)NEAR Shoemaker.
E)Clementine.

Question 25

Pluto has 5 known moons: Charon, Hydra, Nix, Kerberos and Styx.

Question 26

The orbits of most asteroids:

A)lie beyond Neptune.
B)lie entirely beyond the orbit of Mars.
C)cross the orbit of Mars.
D)cross the orbit of Earth.
E)cross the orbits of all four terrestrial planets.

Question 27

Charon is Pluto's largest moon.

Question 28

Carbonaceous meteorites contain organic molecules, even amino acids.

Question 29

Iridium was the element that first alerted us to the unusual dust left behind by the K-Tboundary event.

Question 30

About what percent of all asteroids are S-type asteroids?

A)5%
B)10%
C)15%
D)50%
E)75%

Question 31

Pluto is probably one of the largest of the Kuiper Belt bodies beyond Neptune.

Question 32

Why do researchers believe that asteroids in the asteroid belt are primal rocks that did notmerge into a planet?

A)The total mass of the asteroids in the asteroid belt is much smaller than that of any terrestrialplanet in our solar system.
B)The differences in chemical compositions of the asteroids are too large for them to haveoriginated in a single body.
C)Jupiter's gravity could have prevented these objects merging into a single body.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 33

Some meteorites found on Earth are believed to have originated on the Moon or Venus.

Question 34

Meteor showers are the result of debris left behind by the passage of a decaying comet.

Question 35

Scientists have proved that an asteroid or comet impact approximately 65 million years agocaused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Question 36

Pluto's atmosphere does not change significantly during the course of its year.

Question 37

Sedna, with a perihelion three times farther out than Pluto, and a period of thousands ofyears, is just a typical Kuiper Belt body.

Question 38

Charon is Pluto's only moon.

Question 39

About what percent of all asteroids are C-type asteroids?

A)5%
B)10%
C)15%
D)50%
E)75%

Question 40

Pluto's entire surface seems to be about the same age.

Question 41

The orbital resonances with Jupiter are shown in the:

A)Cassini division.
B)Zone of Avoidance.
C)Kirkwood Gaps.
D)ring arcs.
E)orbits of the Aten asteroids.

Question 42

Which asteroid did Dawn visit first and which is second in its planned mission?

A)Mathilde, Eros
B)Ida, Dactyl
C)Vesta, Ceres
D)Gaspra, Ida
E)Pallas, Ceres

Question 43

On its way to Jupiter, Galileo also gave us close-ups of:

A)Mars and Venus.
B)Ceres and Vesta.
C)Gaspra and Ida.
D)Mathilde and Eros.
E)Mercury and Venus.

Question 44

Vesta's density is:

A)about the same as other asteroids, around 2100-2900 $\mathrm { kg } / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 }.$
B)lower than typical asteroids, around 1400 $\mathrm { kg } / \mathrm { m } 3$
C)about the same as a typical comet, around 100 $\mathrm { kg } / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 }$
D)about the same as the densest meteorites, around 5000 $\mathrm { kg } / \mathrm { m } ^3$
E)more than the density of other asteroids, but less than the density of a terrestrial planet; around3500 $\mathrm { kg } / \mathrm { m } ^3$

Question 45

The type of asteroid that would appear darkest and reflect the least light is type:

A)A.
B)B.
C)C.
D)D.
E)S.

Question 46

Based on observations by the Dawn spacecraft, scientists have concluded that Vesta mightbe:

A)a planetesimal left over from the solar system's formation.
B)the only remaining protoplanet in our solar system.
C)one of the dwarf planets in our solar system.
D)a fragment of Mars.
E)one of the remnants of the planet that broke up to form the asteroid belt.

Question 47

Before it arrived in orbit about Eros, the NEAR spacecraft also flew past:

A)Venus.
B)asteroid Mathilde.
C)Comet Wild.
D)Mars.
E)Comet Halley.

Question 48

About how many potentially hazardous asteroids pass within 0.05 A.U. of the Earth perdecade in modern times?

A)none
B)10-20
C)200-300
D)5000-1000
E)A completely unknown quantity; it could easily be anywhere from just a few to millions.

Question 49

Asteroid 2004 FH passed within a tenth of the Earth-Moon distance in March 2004. When itsperiod was found to be about nine months, it was classified as a(n):

A)short period comet.
B)Aten asteroid.
C)Apollo asteroid.
D)Amor asteroid.
E)Kuiper Belt Object.

Question 50

The Amor asteroids have orbits that:

A)stay closer to the Sun, on average, than we do.
B)stay out beyond Neptune.
C)stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter.
D)cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion.
E)cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.

Question 51

What are Dactyl, Gaspra, Mathilde, Eros, and Ida?

A)the four largest main belt asteroids, and the first to be discovered
B)the first four bodies found in the Kuiper Belt after Pluto
C)newly discovered small moons of Saturn
D)four asteroids that have been explored by spacecraft
E)newly discovered retrograde moons of Jupiter

Question 52

Dactyl was photographed by the Galileo spacecraft. It is:

A)a moon of the asteroid Ida.
B)a moon of Halley's Comet.
C)one of the small moons of Jupiter, thought to be a captured asteroid.
D)one of the larger asteroids found in the asteroid belt.
E)an Earth-crossing asteroid.

Question 53

The three largest asteroids are:

A)Pluto, Sedna, and Quaoar.
B)Deimos, Phobos, and Athos.
C)Ida, Gaspra, and Mathilde.
D)Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta.
E)Halley, Hale-Bopp, and Hyakutake.

Question 54

Compared to Ida, Eros, and Gaspra, what was odd about Mathilde?

A)It had a small moon, so we could more accurately find its mass.
B)It was much denser, probably made of iron and nickel, a class M asteroid.
C)It was less dense than water, indicating it was a comet nucleus, rather than an asteroid.
D)It was less dense than rock, but more than ice, suggesting a porous structure.
E)It was the same density as the Earth's Moon, indicating it had been knocked off our Moon.

Question 55

Which of the following objects could be a protoplanet?

A)Earth's Moon
B)Vesta
C)Pluto
D)Ida
E)Comet Halley

Question 56

What is the defining property of the Trojan asteroids?

A)Their orbital periods are exactly one year, like ours.
B)They have orbits that cross the orbit of Earth, but not that of Venus.
C)They have orbits at the distance of Jupiter and 60 degrees ahead of or behind it.
D)They have orbits between Saturn and Uranus.
E)Like Pluto, they are in a 3:2 resonance with Neptune.

Question 57

The type of asteroid that would be the densest would be type:

A)C.
B)M.
C)S.
D)V.
E)Z.

Question 58

What is the typical size of most known asteroids?

A)a few meters
B)a few kilometers
C)a few hundred kilometers
D)larger than the Moon
E)larger than the Earth

Question 59

The Trojan asteroids have orbits that:

A)are, on average, closer to the Sun than we are.
B)cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.
C)cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion.
D)stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter.
E)stay out beyond Neptune.

Question 60

Asteroids studied by spacecraft have densities that are:

A)about the same as Jupiter's density.
B)similar to the density of water.
C)less than the density of any jovian planet in our solar system.
D)less than the density of any terrestrial planet in our solar system.
E)greater than the density of any terrestrial planet in our solar system.

Question 61

Which of the following objects never collide with Earth?

A)Apollo asteroids
B)Amor asteroids
C)Aten asteroids
D)long period comets
E)short period comets

Question 62

The orbits of most comets:

A)are like the planets, fairly circular and in the ecliptic plane.
B)lie almost entirely beyond the orbit of Neptune.
C)have perihelions within the orbits of Mercury.
D)go no farther out than Pluto, then return to the Sun again.
E)are shorter than the 76 year period for Comet Halley.

Question 63

Which of these spacecraft did not visit (make a close approach to or land on)a comet?

A)Dawn
B)Deep Impact
C)Rosetta
D)Giotto
E)Vega 2

Question 64

What is so unusual about Pluto's orbit?

A)It lies exactly on the ecliptic.
B)It has the lowest eccentricity of any planet's orbit.
C)It is more inclined to the ecliptic than any of the eight planets.
D)It has an unexpectedly short orbital period.
E)It's orbital period is exactly twice that of Neptune's.

Question 65

Deep Impact showed that the internal composition of Comet Tempel 1 was consistent with a:

A)rocky nucleus.
B)dirty snowball.
C)molten core in the nucleus.
D)plasma.

Question 66

What are comets made of?

A)silicates and rocky dust
B)metallic dust particles
C)dark colored complex hydrocarbons
D)methane, ammonia, and water ice
E)all of the above

Question 67

The Apollo and Aten asteroids have orbits that:

A)cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.
B)cross the orbit of Mars, but not Earth, at perihelion.
C)remain between Mars and Jupiter, in the main belt.
D)stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter.
E)stay out beyond Neptune.

Question 68

Pluto's density is most similar to:

A)the terrestrial planets.
B)the jovian planets.
C)moons of the jovian planets.
D)Mercury, but not Venus, Earth, or Mars.
E)Saturn, but not Jupiter, Uranus, or Neptune.

Question 69

The tail of a comet always points:

A)toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion.
B)toward Earth and never varies.
C)away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion.
D)away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion.
E)in the direction of the comet's motion.

Question 70

The Kuiper Belt objects have orbits that:

A)carry them thousands of A.U. beyond the Sun.
B)stay out just beyond Neptune and close to the ecliptic.
C)stay sixty degrees ahead of or behind Jupiter.
D)cross the orbit of Mars at perihelion.
E)cross the orbit of Earth at perihelion.

Question 71

What part of a comet has only been seen in detail by a space probe?

A)meteoroid trail
B)dust tail
C)ion tail
D)coma
E)nucleus

Question 72

The nucleus, or main solid body, of a comet has a typical size of:

A)a few centimeters.
B)a few meters.
C)a few kilometers.
D)a few hundred kilometers.
E)a few thousand kilometers.

Question 73

From its orbit, we now recognize Pluto as one of the largest members of the:

A)moons of Neptune.
B)asteroid belt.
C)Kuiper Belt.
D)Oort Cloud.
E)Zodiacal Belt.

Question 74

Halley's Comet last passed Earth in 1986. It will be due back in:

A)2012.
B)2048.
C)2061.
D)2086.
E)the twenty-third century.

Question 75

Pluto's moon is most similar to:

A)Europa.
B)Miranda.
C)Triton.
D)our Moon.
E)Mercury.

Question 76

Pluto's bulk density is:

A) $3,400 \mathrm {~kg} / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 }$ , omparable to our Moon's.
B) $2,100 \mathrm {~kg} / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 }$ , similar to Callisto's mix of rock and ice.
C) $1,200 \mathrm {~kg} / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 }$ like Mimas, made of almost pure ice.
D) $700 \mathrm {~kg} / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 } ,$ ike Saturn a mix of hydrogen and helium slush.
E) $400 \mathrm {~kg} / \mathrm { m } ^ { 3 } \text {, }$ lie Comet Halley's nucleus, a ice ball with many gas pockets.

Question 77

The Oort Cloud is thought to be:

A)the cloud of gas and dust from which our solar system formed.
B)a cloud of debris that occasionally encounters the Earth, causing a meteor shower.
C)the spherical cloud of comets and some larger icy bodies surrounding the outer solar system.
D)a cloud of asteroids moving between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
E)the material in the ecliptic plane that creates the zodiacal light.

Question 78

Pluto was discovered in:

A)ancient times.
B)1789.
C)1859.
D)1930.
E)1992.

Question 79

The two names most associated with the discovery of Pluto are:

A)Adams and Leverrier.
B)Herschel and Bode.
C)Kuiper and Whipple.
D)Lowell and Tombaugh.
E)Shoemaker and Levy.

Question 80

Long period comets are thought to reside mainly in the:

A)asteroid belt.
B)Kirkwood gaps.
C)Kuiper Belt.
D)Oort Cloud.
E)Interstellar Medium.