UCCS Astronomy Lab 1 PES 1090 Fall 2010 Comet & Meteor Lab ...

UCCS Astronomy Lab 1 PES 1090 Fall 2010 Comet & Meteor Lab name:____________________

1. What is a meteor?

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 the 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.

2. What is a meteoroid?

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 the 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.

3. Most asteroids are found in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of

A. Earth and Mars.
B. Saturn and Jupiter.
C. Venus and Earth.
D. Mars and Jupiter.

4. What are the three broad categories of meteorites?

A. Small, medium and large.
B. Organic, inorganic, synthetic
C. Iron, stony, stony-iron.
D. Red, yellow and blue.

5. Annual meteor showers such as the Perseids in August are caused by

A. The breakup of asteroids that hit our atmosphere at predictable times.
B. The Earth passing through the debris left behind by a comet as we cross its orbit.
C. Nuclear reactions in the upper atmosphere triggered by meteoritic particle storms.
D. Passing asteroids triggering auroral displays.

6. A comet’s tail

A. Is gas and dust pulled off the comet by the Sun's gravity
B. Always trails behind the comet.
C. Is gas & dust expelled from the comet's nucleus by the Sun's heat & radiation pressure, & always points

away from the Sun.
D. Is composed mainly of captured particles from the solar wind.

7. Why are there two tails to some comets?

A. The "gas tail" is formed by solar radiation pressure. The "dust tail," is pushed out by the solar wind
B. The "dust tail" is formed by solar radiation pressure. The "gas tail," is pushed out by the solar wind.
C. Comets contain iron, which is attracted by the Sun's gravity, forming a tail which points toward the Sun.
D. The statement is false: comets have only one tail.

8. What is Chicxulub?

A. A Mexican town in the Yucatan causing a major impact that may have occurred 65 million years ago.
B. Chicxulub is the site of the failed launch of a Soviet space mission to the asteroid belt.
C. This is the name of a comet that may have crashed into Earth exterminating the dinosaurs.
D. A Mexican cuisine dish made with Chupacabra meat, & very tasty according to my cat.

9.) Long Period Comets come from the:

A. Kuiper Belt
B. Oort Cloud
C. Jovian planets
D. Sun

10) Dust is an important part of the nebular theory of solar system formation because dust is needed to
explain:

A. How the inner planets came to be rocky bodies.
B. How the outer planets came to be gaseous bodies.
C. How the initial cloud cooled enough to collapse.
D. How the initial cloud heated as it contracted.
E. Why the icy bodies are located so far from the Sun.

11) The meteorites that strike Earth are:

A. Pieces of comets that fall to Earth.
B. Mostly made of iron.
C. The oldest rocks known.
D. The remains of the planet between Mars and Jupiter.
E. Material from outside our solar system.

12) Which objects in the solar system have been least modified since the formation of the solar system?

A. Asteroids
B. Kuiper Belt objects
C. Meteoroids
D. Terrestrial planets
E. Jovian moons

13) Which of the following is considered ʺinterplanetary matterʺ?

A. Titan
B. Triton
C. The Moon
D. Ganymede
E. Comet Hale-Bopp

14) Most asteroids are found:

A. Beyond the orbit of Neptune.
B. Between the Earth and Sun.
C. Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
D. In the orbit of Jupiter, but 60 degrees ahead or behind it.
E. Orbiting the Jovian planets in captured, retrograde orbits.

15) What do we call the swarm of comet nuclei in a huge shell surrounding the Sun and planets?

A. The Solar System
B. The asteroid belt
C. The ecliptic.
D. The Oort Cloud.

16) In composition and density, the asteroids most resemble:

A. Comets.
B. The Sun.
C. Jovian moons.
D. Pieces of terrestrial planets.
E. Kuiper Belt objects like Pluto.

17) In composition, asteroids and meteoroids are most like

A. Jovian planets.
B. Kuiper Belt objects.
C. Comets.
D. Terrestrial planets.
E. The moons of Jupiter.

18) The difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid is the objectʹs

A. Size.
B. Shape.
C. Composition.
D. Orbital period.
E. Location in the solar system.

19) The smallest sort of interplanetary matter is called:

A. An asteroid.
B. Interplanetary dust.
C. A meteoroid.
D. A Kuiper Belt Object.
E. A comet.

20) Which of the following is not icy in composition?

A. Comet nuclei
B. Kuiper Belt Objects
C. The polar cap of Mars
D. Asteroids
E. Most Jovian satellites

21) The most detailed look weʹve had of an asteroid comes from

A. Spacecraft sent to an asteroid.
B. Ground based optical images..
C. Earth orbital X‐ray images.
D. Ground based radar images.
E. High-altitude UV spectroscopy.

22) The Kuiper Belt is an ʺouter asteroid beltʺ consisting of what types of solar system bodies?

A. Icy comet like bodies
B. Asteroids
C. Aeteoroids
D. Jovian planets
E. Terrestrial planets

23) Which of the following have an icy composition?

A. Most asteroids
B. Meteoroids
C. Comets
D. The surface of Mars
E. Meteorites and most asteroids

24) A meteorite is:

A. A chunk of space debris that has struck the ground.
B. A streak of light in the atmosphere.
C. An icy body with a long tail extending from it.
D. A chunk of space debris orbiting the Earth.
E. An irregularly shaped body, mostly found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

25) Objects in the Kuiper belt:

A. Are in random orbits at all inclinations to the ecliptic.
B. Lie beyond the orbit of Neptune, and close to the ecliptic.
C. Are the sources of long-period comets.
D. Are dense, like the iron meteorites.
E. Lie beyond the orbit of Neptune and perpendicular to the ecliptic..