Asteroids and Comets Quiz

What are asteroids sometimes called?

• Comets

• Space rocks

• Meteoroids

• Major planets

What caused the small bodies in the early solar system to collide and fragment into asteroids?

• Earth's gravity

• Mars' gravity

• Jupiter's gravity

• Saturn's gravity

Where is the asteroid belt located in our Solar System?

• Between Saturn and Uranus

• Between Jupiter and Saturn

• Between Earth and Mars

• Between Mars and Jupiter

What is the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt?

• Ceres

• Hygiea

• Pallas

• Vesta

What is a meteoroid?

• A solid piece of debris from outer space

• A piece of rock that reaches the ground

• A streak of light in the sky

• A small piece of rock in space

What causes a meteor to appear in the sky?

• A comet entering the atmosphere

• A meteoroid crashing through Earth's atmosphere

• An asteroid collision in space

• A meteorite reaching the ground

What is a meteorite?

• A small piece of rock in space

• A piece of rock that reaches the ground

• A streak of light in the sky

• A solid piece of debris from outer space

What are comets composed of?

• Dust and rock

• Gas and dust

• Ice and dust

• Rock and ice

What happens to comets as they orbit closer to the Sun?

• They shrink in size

• They cool down

• They heat up and spew gases and dust

• They become more solid

What is the approximate size of a comet?

• About 10 km in diameter

• About 20 km in diameter

• About 5 km in diameter

• About 1 km in diameter