Exam 9: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

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A) Neither the asteroid belt nor Oort cloud would exist.
B) Earth would have suffered far fewer impacts.
C) There would be a large empty region in our solar system between the orbit of Mars and the Kuiper belt.
D) Earth would orbit much closer to the Sun.

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If Jupiter had never existed, its gravit...

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A) a streak of light caused by a star moving across the sky
B) a streak of light caused by a small particle from space burning up in Earth's atmosphere
C) a fragment of an asteroid from the solar system that has fallen to Earth's surface
D) a small moon that orbits one of the giant planets
E) a comet that burns up in Earth's atmosphere

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A) A comet emits visible light and infrared light
B) A comet emits no light, but reflects visible light.
C) A comet emits infrared light and reflects visible light.
D) A comet emits visible light and reflects infrared light.

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A) Generally away from the Sun
B) Straight behind the comet in its orbit
C) Perpendicular to the ecliptic plane
D) Always almost due north

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A) None
B) One
C) Two
D) Three
E) Four

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The distance, ellipticity, and inclinati...

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A) the nucleus
B) the coma
C) the jets of gas
D) the plasma tail
E) the dust tail

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A) A meteorite is usually covered with a dark crust from burning in Earth's atmosphere.
B) A meteorite usually has a high metal content.
C) Meteorites have different isotope ratios of particular elements when compared to terrestrial rocks.
D) Meteorites contain rare elements, such as iridium, that terrestrial rocks do not.
E) All of the above are true.

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A) No because Pluto's orbit is completely outside Neptune's orbit.
B) No because Pluto's orbit is completely inside Neptune's orbit.
C) No because Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit.
D) No because the two planets have an orbital resonance that prevents them from colliding.
E) Yes.

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A) orbital resonances with Jupiter
B) tidal forces from the Sun
C) tidal forces from Jupiter
D) the competing gravitational tugs of Mars and Jupiter

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A) the density of asteroids is high enough for a large collision to pulverize a number of asteroids.
B) the period of an orbiting asteroid would be a simple fraction (like 1/3 or ¼) of Jupiter's orbital period.
C) the period of an orbiting asteroid would be the same as Jupiter's orbital period.
D) the period of an orbiting asteroid would be the same as Mars's orbital period.
E) the orbit would take the asteroid beyond the "frost line" in the solar system.

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A) Pluto orbits the Sun exactly two times for every three Neptune orbits, which ensures they never come close together.
B) Pluto is always much farther from the Sun than Neptune.
C) Pluto's orbit never comes anywhere close to Neptune's orbit.
D) Actually, a collision of the two is inevitable within the next billion years.

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Yes, it would still be possible to make ...

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A) Asteroids formed inside the frost line, while comets formed outside.
B) Asteroids and comets formed at different times.
C) Comets formed from the jovian nebula, while asteroids did not.
D) Comets are much larger than asteroids.
E) Asteroids are much larger than comets.

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