Asteroid Belt Reading Assignment

What is the primary composition of the Asteroid Belt?

• Silicate rock and nickel-iron

• Hydrogen and helium

• Methane and ammonia

• Water ice

Where is the Asteroid Belt located in our solar system?

• Between Mars and Jupiter

• Between Earth and Mars

• Between Jupiter and Saturn

• Between Venus and Earth

Which is the largest member of the Asteroid Belt?

• Ceres

• Vesta

• Pallas

• Hygiea

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

What prevented the material in the Asteroid Belt from forming a planet?

• Gravitational interactions with Jupiter

• Lack of sufficient material

• High temperatures

• Presence of water

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Who discovered Ceres, the first and largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt?

• Giuseppe Piazzi

• Isaac Newton

• Galileo Galilei

• Johannes Kepler

Why is the Asteroid Belt considered a "cosmic boundary" in our solar system?

• It completely blocks space travel.

•  It separates inner terrestrial planets from outer gas giants

•  It contains only metallic objects

• It marks the edge of our solar system

If you were traveling through the Asteroid Belt in a spacecraft, what would most likely happen?

•  You would constantly dodge asteroids

• You would have an extremely low chance of encountering an asteroid

• You would definitely crash into multiple objects

• You would find the belt completely impassable

 Which statement best describes the density of objects in the Asteroid Belt?

• Extremely crowded with asteroids

• Uniformly distributed with equal spacing

• Surprisingly sparse with wide gaps

• Completely empty of any objects

 Ceres is unique in the Asteroid Belt because it is:

• The smallest asteroid

• The only dwarf planet

• Completely metallic

•  Perfectly spherical

The primary composition of asteroids in the belt is:

• Pure water ice

• Silicate rock and nickel-iron

•  Solid gold