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Solar System Debris: Dwarf & Minor Planets
Comparing asteroids and comets: Examine the following characteristics and decide if
they describe asteroids or comets, or both, or neither.
A. Asteroids
B. Both asteroids and comets
C. Comets
D. Neither asteroids nor comets
1.
B Have long, highly eccentric orbits
2.
C Icy
3.
A Made of stone, metal, or carbon
4.
A Mostly found between Mars and
Jupiter
5.
C Mostly found beyond Neptune
6.
A Some are big enough to be dwarf
planets
7.
D Never cross Earth’s orbit
8.
C Populate the Oort Cloud
9.
C Appear without warning
10. A Are sometimes nudged into the
inner solar system
Vocabulary: Choose the correct term that matches the given definition.
A. Asteroid
B. Meteor
C. Meteorite
D. Meteoroid
11. D Space object that enters Earth’s
atmosphere survives to reach the
Earth’s surface.
12. B The bright trail produced by a
small piece of interplanetary debris as
it travels through the atmosphere at
very high speeds.
13. A A primitive rocky or metallic
body orbiting between Mars and
Jupiter.
14. C Small fragment of a celestial body
that enters the atmosphere and creates
a bright trail
15. Why are there fewer impact craters visible on Earth than on the Moon?Earth has
erosion and weathering
16. How effective would it be to use nuclear weapons against an asteroid?Somewhat
effective
17. How can we make estimates of the density of asteroids?Observing their reflectivity
18. What are asteroids that have orbits that cross the orbit of Earth?Apollos
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Solar System Debris: Dwarf & Minor Planets
19. What holds the Trojan asteroids in the position 60º ahead of and behind Jupiter?The
gravity of the Sun and Jupiter are balanced
20. A carbonaceous asteroid is classified as what type?C-Type
21. An asteroid that is mostly stone is classified as what type?S-Type
22. An asteroid that is mostly metal is classified as what type?M-Type
23. What is not found above the K-T boundary?Dinosaur fossils
24. Why did ancient peoples (and some modern ones) consider comets to be omens?
They appear unexpectedly
25. Why did the Kuiper Belt not condense into a planet?The material is too far apart
26. How often do short period comets orbit the Sun?Less than 200 years
27. How often do long period comets orbit the Sun?Hundreds, thousands, or millions of
years
28. Where do short period comets originate?The Kuiper Belt
29. Where do long period comets originate?The Oort Cloud
30. How many tails do comets have?2
31. What causes the comet’s tail?The solar wind blowing away the coma
32. Which direction does the comet’s tail point?Away from the Sun
33. What do we theorize that comets brought to Earth?Water & Organic compounds
34. What is another name for the objects that exist beyond the orbit of Neptune?TransNeptunian Objects
35. How do dwarf planets differ from regular planets?They have failed to clear their
orbits of other objects
36. What is the name of the NASA mission to Pluto?New Horizons
37. What is the name of the NASA mission to Ceres?Dawn
38. What is the name of the NASA mission that collected particles of comet dust and
returned them to Earth?Stardust
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