Solar System Debris Quiz

Question 1

A ___ forms around the nucleus when a comet is close enough to the Sun.

Accepted Answer

coma

Question 2

The NEAR spacecraft visited (and landed) on Eros - an asteroid located in the Oort Cloud.

Accepted Answer

FALSE

Question 3

What are the long-term effects of an impact on land or ocean of a relatively small asteroid?

Accepted Answer

global cooling

Question 4

Asteroids range in size from one to hundreds of kilometers - and are

Accepted Answer

mostly located in the asteroid belt between Mars & Jupiter.

Question 5

Meteors are ___ that burn up as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

meteoroids

Question 6

Kuiper Belt Objects (or KBO's) are mostly icy bodies that exist

Accepted Answer

within Pluto's orbit & beyond.

Question 7

Very small particles from a comet's tail periodically hit Earth. This is called a

Accepted Answer

meteor shower.

Question 8

There are trillions of rocky objects in the Kuiper Belt.

Accepted Answer

FALSE

Question 9

Meteorites are small pieces of asteroids or meteoroids that

Accepted Answer

survive atmospheric entry and hit Earth's surface.

Question 10

Eventually a comet's ___ will sublimate (vaporize) completely after many trips around the Sun.

Accepted Answer

frozen ices

Question 11

A(n) ___ named Apophis will cross Earth's orbit in 2026 and pass even closer to Earth in 2036.

Accepted Answer

asteroid

Question 12

The central part of a comet is called the ___ - which contains mostly frozen ices & rock.

Accepted Answer

nucleus

Question 13

Halley's Comet was the first discovered to

Accepted Answer

have an elongated periodic orbit around the Sun., have a 76-year orbit around the Sun.

Question 14

What would be the likely outcome of a collision with a stadium-size asteroid or comet & Earth?

Accepted Answer

an area about the size of Arizona would be scorched

Question 15

A comet's tail always points away from the Sun and can extend

Accepted Answer

for hundreds of millions of miles.

Question 16

Most "long period" comets - whose orbits are 200 years or more - likely originate from the

Accepted Answer

Oort Cloud.

Question 17

New Horizons 2015 flyby of Pluto gave astronomers the first close-up pictures of its surface &

Accepted Answer

studied its nitrogen-rich atmosphere., discovered tall ice mountains with flat smooth plains.

Question 18

Why do long-term comets from the Oort cloud sometimes make their way towards the Sun?

Accepted Answer

some are knocked out of orbit by "nearby" passing stars

Question 19

The dwarf planet Pluto is one of the largest objects located in the Kuiper Belt.

Accepted Answer

TRUE

Question 20

In which direction does its tail move as a comet orbits the Sun?

Accepted Answer

always away from the Sun

Questions 20