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Asteroids, Meteors and Comets

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 12mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Sometimes I am called a "dirty snowball". I have a hydrogen cloud, coma, and a nucleus. I am invisible except when near the sun. What am I?
a)
Asteroid
b)
Star
c)
Meteor
d)
Comet
2.

Which is found in the belt between Mars and Jupiter

a)

Comets

b)

Asteroids

c)

Meteors

d)

Stars

3.
The tail of a comet usually faces
a)
toward the sun
b)
toward the Earth
c)
away from the Sun
d)
away from the Earth
4.

I am a rock entering a planet's atmosphere.

a)

meteor

b)

moon

c)

asteroid

d)

comet

5.

The shape of comet's paths are ________________.

a)

circular

b)

elliptical

c)

irregular

6.

A meteor when it burns in the atmosphere is also known as a ____.

a)

rock

b)

shooting star

c)

ball of ice

7.
What do comets, asteroids and meteors all have in common?
a)
They all are made of ice
b)
They all hit Earth's surface
c)
They all orbit the sun
d)
They have nothing in common
8.
When objects strike the surface of a planet or moon, they leave a deep impression on the surface called a:
a)
Pothole 
b)
Crater
c)
Canyon
d)
Plateau
9.
Where are Asteroids found in the Solar System?
a)
Between Earth and Mars
b)
In the Oort Cloud beyond Neptune
c)
In the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter
d)
Close to the Sun
10.

Where do most comets come from?

a)

In the Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud beyond Neptune's orbit

b)

In the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter

c)

Near the Sun

d)

Earth's atmosphere

11.
Meteorites...
a)
 hit the ground
b)
burn up completely in the atmosphere
c)
debris from asteroids/comets that float around in space
12.

As comets approach the sun they travel faster and have:

a)

shorter tails

b)

medium tails

c)

longer tails

d)

no tails due to solar winds

13.
What are comets made of?
a)
Metals like iron and nickel
b)
Gas
c)
Hydrogen Gas
d)
Ice and rock
14.
When a meteoroid begins to enter Earth's atmosphere it begins to burn up.  What force causes this?
a)
Gravity
b)
Friction
c)
EM Radiation
15.
The cloud of gas and dust around the solid icy ball of a comet is the...
a)
Nucleus
b)
Coma
c)
Tail
16.

What's the difference between comets and asteroids?

a)

Asteroids are made of metal and rock, while Comets are ice and rock

b)

Asteroids are made of ice and rock, while Comets are made of metals and rock

c)

There is no difference

d)

Asteroids are made of stardust, while Comets are made up of water

17.

Where do Long-period comets come from?

a)

Kuiper belt

b)

Oort cloud

c)

Past Pluto

18.

Where is the Oort Cloud?

a)

Between the Sun and Mercury

b)

After Neptune

c)

Between the Earth and the Moon

d)

Between Earth and Mars

19.

Which of the following is FALSE about meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites?

a)

A meteor burns in the mesosphere and is called a "shooting star".

b)

They are made of ice.

c)

They are made of rock and debris from space.

d)

They vary in size and can be as small tiny pebbles or very large.

20.

What force keeps planets, comets, asteroids, and meteoroids in orbit around the Sun?

a)

Electricity

b)

Solar power

c)

Inertia

d)

Gravity