Exam 11: Small Bodies Orbiting the Sun

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) interstellar space
B) material ejected by eruptions on the icy moons of the outer planets
C) a region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
D) small icy bodies in the extreme outer parts of the Solar System that are disturbed into orbits that bring them closer to the Sun

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) Astronomers have studied meteorites that originated in the Asteroid belt.
B) Astronomers have landed a spacecraft on one of them and analyzed its composition.
C) The spectrum of sunlight reflected from an asteroid shows absorption features, from which we can determine its composition.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) gas around a comet's head
B) the glowing light around a meteor as it burns up
C) a region in the outer Solar System from which comets come
D) a zone between the Sun and Mercury where comets burn up and release their gases
E) the gas boiled off a comet that forms its tail

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) 60 ahead
B) 60 behind
C) 5.2 AU
D) 100,000,000 miles

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) 10 m
B) 10 km
C) 100 km
D) 1,000 km
E) 1 AU

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) toward the Sun, pulled by its gravity
B) away from the Sun
C) trailing the comet in its orbit
D) perpendicular to the comet's orbit
E) along the comet's orbit in the direction the comet is moving

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) 1/2 AU.
B) 20 AU.
C) 40 AU.
D) 60 AU.

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) Jupiter
B) Mars
C) Earth
D) Saturn

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) Ceres
B) Itokawa
C) Ida
D) Eros
E) Mathilde

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) an ultraviolet photon; at least one visible light and one or more lower energy photons
B) a visible light and one or more lower energy photons; an ultraviolet photon
C) an ultraviolet and one or more lower energy photons; a visible light photon
D) a visible light photon; at least one ultraviolet and one or more lower energy photons

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) forward
B) backward
C) away from the Sun
D) toward the Sun

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) Uranus and Neptune
B) Neptune and Pluto
C) Pluto and Eris
D) Eris and Uranus
E) Mercury and Eris

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) Objects of the Oort cloud were detected by the Hubble Space Telescope.
B) The fact that new comets continue to appear indicates that a distant reservoir of icy bodies must exist.
C) the fact that many comets orbit on the ecliptic
D) the fact that some comets have retrograde orbits

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) a glowing trail of hot gas and debris heated by friction as an object moves through the atmosphere
B) a space rock that survives its fall through Earth's atmosphere and reaches the ground
C) the object that causes a "shooting star," but before it passes through the atmosphere
D) any one of the large rocky bodies that orbit the Sun, primarily between Jupiter and Saturn

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

A) about the size of Earth
B) about one-quarter the size of the Moon
C) about 50 miles
D) about 50 yards
E) about 50 feet

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer

Correct Answer

verified

Show Answer