NS2-M3C16 - Asteroids, Comets, and Meteor Quiz 55

On which asteroid did NEAR land, discovering a surface strewn with craters?

• Amor

• Eros

• Ida

• Mathilde

Correct the following sentence in regards to the appearance of comets: Pressure from the planets causes the gas vapor and dust particles in the nucleus to fan out from the head in the direction of the Sun.

• Pressure from sunlight causes the frozen rocks in the nucleus to fan out from the head in direction of the Sun.

• Pressure from the planets causes the gas vapor and dust particles in the nucleus to fan out from the head in the direction of the Sun.

• Pressure from sunlight causes the gas vapor and dust particles in the coma to fan out from the head in the direction of the Sun.

• None of the above are correct

What results did the Deep Impact mission report? (Input all that apply, then push the ENTER button.)

• Impact did not penetrate the comet’s core

• Contained less water than expected

• Tightly packed rather than loose materials

• None of the above

A meteor usually burns up before it hits the Earth. If it doesn’t it is called a(n) ________.

• meteorite

• meteoroid

• asteroid

• comet

Match the meteorite Siderite with the descriptions below. (Input all that apply and then push the enter button)

• Composed of 90% iron.

• Theorized to have come from a former planet’s crust.

• A 60 ton specimen exists in Africa.

• Theorized to have come from a former planet’s core.

• None of the above

An astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is neither a planet nor originally classified as a comet

• Meteors

• Minor planets

• Asteroids

• Moons

A region of space beginning at 50,000 AU from the Sun and extending half-way to the nearest star

• Oort Cloud

• Oort Comet

• Elliptical orbit

• Kuiper Belt

A chunk of rock or metal orbiting in space, similar to an asteroid but much smaller, by current convention not exceeding a meter in size

• Coma

• Meteoroid

• Meteor

• Iceball

A meteor brighter than any of the planets

• Fireball

• Siderites

• Meteorite

• Iceball

A meteorite that is composed of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and some iron

• Siderites

• Aerolites

• Tektites

• Meteorites