Question 1

Cometary nuclei provide evidence that the ingredients necessary for the creation of life were present in the early solar nebula.

Accepted Answer

Cometary nuclei contain a variety of organic compounds, including amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins and essential for life. The presence of these compounds suggests that the early solar nebula contained the necessary ingredients for the creation of life.

Question 2

Which of following is FALSE?
A)Pluto has five moons.
B)Pluto has a mass that is 10 times less than the Earth's mass.
C)Pluto's orbit sometimes brings it closer to the Sun than Neptune.
D)Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930.
E)Pluto has a thin atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

Pluto has a mass that is about 500 times less than the Earth's mass, not 10 times less.

Question 3

Some asteroids have moons just like planets do.

Accepted Answer

Some asteroids have one or more moons orbiting around them. These moons are much smaller in size compared to the asteroid itself.

Question 4

Eris,Ceres,and Haumea are examples of:
A)asteroids
B)dwarf planets
C)meteoroids
D)comets
E)meteor showers

Accepted Answer

Eris, Ceres, and Haumea are all classified as dwarf planets, which means they are smaller than traditional planets and are not able to clear their orbits of other debris.

Question 5

Pluto is the most massive member of the Kuiper Belt.

Accepted Answer

Pluto was once considered the ninth planet in our solar system, but in 2006 it was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" and is now recognized as a member of the Kuiper Belt, along with other small icy bodies. However, it is not the most massive member of the Kuiper Belt. That title belongs to Eris, which is slightly larger and more massive than Pluto.

Question 6

Although asteroids are small individually,when combined they make up about a quarter of all the mass in the Solar System,excluding the Sun.

Accepted Answer

Asteroids only account for a small fraction of the mass in the Solar System, estimated to be less than 0.1%. The majority of the mass is in the Sun, with the gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) also contributing significantly.

Question 7

Like meteoroids and asteroids,cometary nuclei in the Oort Cloud undergo frequent collisions that often send them into the inner Solar System.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Like meteoroids and asteroids,cometary nuclei in the...

Question 8

Pluto is composed primarily of rock.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pluto is composed primarily of rock....

Question 9

All meteorites are remnants of planetesimals that never coalesced to form a planet.

Accepted Answer

The answer of All meteorites are remnants of planetesimals that...

Question 10

Eris is classified as an asteroid even though its mass is 28 percent larger than Pluto's mass.

Accepted Answer

Eris is actually classified as a dwarf planet, not an asteroid, and it has a mass that is 27 percent more than Pluto's.

Question 11

Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet because:
A)it has not cleared out other bodies from its orbit
B)it is over 1,000 times smaller than the Earth's moon
C)it has no moons of its own
D)it has a unique chemical composition that is very different from other planets
E)it orbits just outside the Solar System

Accepted Answer

According to the International Astronomical Union's definition, a planet must "clear its neighborhood" of other debris in its orbit. Since Pluto has not accomplished this, it is categorized as a dwarf planet.

Question 12

The most common type of meteorites found are iron meteorites.

Accepted Answer

The most common type of meteorites found are actually stony meteorites, followed by iron meteorites and stony-iron meteorites.

Question 13

Which of the following types of Solar System debris were NOT discovered until the age of telescopes?
A)comets
B)meteoroids
C)zodiacal dust
D)asteroids
E)all of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following types of Solar...

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

The mass of Pluto is approximately 0.0022 times that of Earth.

Question 15

Most asteroids are found in orbit around the Sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most asteroids are found in orbit around...

Question 16

The dwarf planet Eris has a moon called Dysomia,which is much smaller in mass than Eris.If Dysomia has an orbital period of 16 days and orbits Eris at a distance of 40,000 km,then what is the mass of Eris? A)2 × 10¹³ kg B)2 × 10²² kg C)2 × 10²⁸ kg D)2 × 10³² kg E)2 × 10³⁵ kg

Accepted Answer

Using Kepler's third law and the formula for gravitational force, the mass of Eris can be calculated. The formula is M = (4π²r³)/(G*T²), where r is the orbital radius, G is the gravitational constant, and T is the orbital period. Plugging in the values, the mass of Eris is approximately 2 × 10²² kg.

Question 17

Meteorites are more likely to come from asteroids than comets.

Accepted Answer

This is because asteroids are made up of rock and metal, which are more likely to survive the journey through the atmosphere and form meteorites upon impact with Earth. Comets, on the other hand, are made up of ice and dust, which are more likely to evaporate upon entry and not form meteorites.

Question 18

All short-period comets have periods less than or equal to 20 years.

Accepted Answer

The answer of All short-period comets have periods less than...

Question 19

Pluto has a density that is roughly equal to two times that of:
A)a feather
B)water
C)lead
D)a rock
E)air

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pluto has a density that is roughly...

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

Cometary meteors are debris from comets that have entered the Earth's atmosphere. By analyzing the speed and direction of a meteor's flight, astronomers can trace it back to its parent comet and gather information about its orbit and composition.

Quiz 12: Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies