Exploring the Mysteries of Comets

What historical event is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry that includes Comet Halley?

• The Fall of the Roman Empire

• The Battle of Hastings

• The Signing of the Magna Carta

• The Discovery of America

What are comets primarily composed of?

• Gas and dust

• Ice and rock

• Water and metal

• Metal and rock

What process causes the ice in comets to turn directly into gas?

• Freezing

• Condensation

• Evaporation

• Sublimation

What is the solid part of a comet called?

• Core

• Tail

• Nucleus

• Coma

What causes the ion tail of a comet to point directly away from the Sun?

• Light pressure

• Magnetic fields

• Solar wind

• Gravitational pull

What color does carbon monoxide emit in a comet's ion tail?

• Green

• Red

• Yellow

• Blue

What are comets with orbital periods less than 200 years called?

• Sungrazers

• Sundivers

• Short-period comets

• Long-period comets

What mission first successfully captured images of Comet Halley's nucleus?

• Rosetta

• Stardust

• Vega 1

• Giotto

What did NASA's Stardust mission find in the samples collected from Comet Wild 2?

• Water ice

• Metallic particles

• Radioactive elements

• Organic molecules

What is one possible origin of the water on Earth according to the video?

• Tidal forces

• Solar radiation

• Comet impacts

• Volcanic activity

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-5