Download Worksheet

Objective - Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
The Universe – Ride the Comet Video Worksheet
1. Who are the cosmic time travelers of the skies?
a. Comets
b. Asteroids
c. Meteors
2. Comets appear out of nowhere.
a. True
b. False
3. Comets are basically dirty snowballs or…
a. rocky snowballs.
b. dirty iceballs.
c. icy dirt balls.
d. snowy muck balls.
4. What is the heart of a comet?
a. Coma
b. Nucleus
c. Tail
5. Where were many of the comets whisked after the formed by the gas planets?
a. Into the Asteroid Belt.
b. Into the Kuiper Belt.
c. Into the Oort Cloud.
d. Into the Asteroid Band.
6. How many comets may be in the Kuiper Belt?
a. Over 600,000.
b. Over 6 million.
c. Over 6 billion.
d. Over 6 trillion.
7. What happens to a comet as it approaches the Sun?
a. The comet slows down.
b. All frozen materials melt.
c. All the frozen materials convert from ice to gaseous materials.
d. Nothing. The comet doesn’t change.
8. What is the hazy atmosphere of a comet called?
a. Coma
b. Nucleus
c. Tail
1|Page
Objective - Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
9. What is formed by solar radiation forcing the coma behind the comet?
a. Coma
b. Nucleus
c. Tail
10. Flying through the tail of a comet would be like flying through…
a. a blizzard.
b. a rock storm.
c. a cloud.
d. empty space.
11. When was Comet Halley was first recorded?
a. 2 B.C.
b. 24 B.C.
c. 240 B.C.
d. 2400 B.C.
Match the space probe with its mission
_____12. Sent an impactor to collide with Comet Tempel 1.
A. Deep Impact
_____13. Took pictures of the Comet Tempel 1, photographing the crater.
B. Epoxi
_____ 14. Studied Comet Hartley 2.
C. Stardust-NExT
15. What will we find at the outermost edge of the Solar System?
a. The Asteroid Belt.
b. The Kuiper Belt.
c. The Oort Cloud.
d. The Asteroid Band.
16. How small are some meteors?
a. The size of a pebble.
b. The size of a rock.
c. The size of a boulder.
d. No bigger than a grain of sand.
17. This space probe’s mission was to collect comet dust in outer space and return it to
Earth.
a. Deep Impact
b. Epoxi
c. Stardust
d. Stardust-NExT
2|Page
Objective - Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
18. Comets have never hit the Earth.
a. True
b. False
19. Which planet was struck by fragments of Shoemaker Levy 9?
a. Uranus
b. Neptune
c. Saturn
d. Jupiter
20. What poses a greater threat to humans – asteroids or comets?
a. Asteroids
b. Comets
3|Page
Objective - Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
The Universe – Ride the Comet Video Worksheet -Key
1. Who are the cosmic time travelers of the skies?
a. Comets (3 choices)
2. Comets appear out of nowhere.
a. True (2 choices)
3. Comets are basically dirty snowballs or…
c. icy dirt balls.
4. What is the heart of a comet?
b. Nucleus (3 choices)
5. Where were many of the comets whisked after the formed by the gas planets?
b. Into the Kuiper Belt.
6. How many comets may be in the Kuiper Belt?
c. Over 6 billion.
7. What happens to a comet as it approaches the Sun?
c. All the frozen materials convert from ice to gaseous materials.
8. What is the hazy atmosphere of a comet called?
a. Coma (3 choices)
9. What is formed by solar radiation forcing the coma behind the comet?
c. Tail (3 choices)
10. Flying through the tail of a comet would be like flying through…
a. a blizzard.
4|Page
Objective - Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
11. When was Comet Halley was first recorded?
c. 240 B.C.
A 12. Sent an impactor to collide with Comet Tempel 1.
C 13. Took pictures of the Comet Tempel 1, photo graphing the crater.
B 14. Studied Comet Hartley 2.
15. What will we find at the outermost edge of the Solar System?
c. The Oort Cloud.
16. How small are some meteors?
d. No bigger than a grain of sand.
17. This space probe’s mission was to collect comet dust in outer space and return it to
Earth.
c. Stardust
18. Comets have never hit the Earth.
b. False (2 choices)
19. Which planet was struck by fragments of Shoemaker Levy 9?
d. Jupiter
20. What poses a greater threat to humans – asteroids or comets?
b. Comets (2 choices)
5|Page
Objective - Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
The Universe – Ride the Comet Video Worksheet -Key
1. a (3 choices)
2. a (2 choices)
3. c
4. b (3 choices)
5. b
6. c
7. c
8. a (3 choices)
9. c (3 choices)
10. a
11. c
12. A
13. C
14. B
15. c
16. d
17. c
18. b (2 choices)
19. d
20. b (2 choices)
Scoring Guide
18-20 – 3
14-17 – 2.5
10-13 – 2
6-9 – 1.5
4-5 – 1
1-3 – .5
0–0
6|Page