Quiz 1.3

Question 1

• The process by which dust and gas accumulate into larger bodies protoplanets,
  through gravity.

Answer 1

ACCRETION

Question 2

Asteroids big enough that a spaceship can land on them and people can walk on
their surface.

Answer 2

PLANETOIDS

Question 3

A term that refers to very tiny meteoroids, also known as cosmic dusts.

Answer 3

MICROMETEOROIDS

Question 4

• A local term that refers to shooting stars or meteors.

Answer 4

BULALAKAW

Question 5

They are meteors that appear to glow brighter than planets.

Answer 5

FIREBALLS

Question 6

The solid, central part of a comet, composed of rock, dust, and frozen gases.

Answer 6

NUCLEUS

Question 7

The nebulous envelope of gas and dust that forms around a comet’s nucleus when it is
near the Sun.

Answer 7

COMA

Question 8

The process by which a comet’s frozen gases turn directly from solid to gas when
heated by the Sun.

Answer 8

SUBLIMATION

Question 9

A large meteor that explodes in the atmosphere, producing a bright flash and possibly a
sonic boom.

Answer 9

BOLIDE

Question 10

The point in the sky from which meteors in a shower appear to originate.

Answer 10

RADIANT

Question 11

• A type of stony meteorite containing small mineral grains.

Answer 11

CHONDRITE

Question 12

A layer of loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock, found on the surface of
planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

Answer 12

REGOLITH

Question 13

The point in a comet’s orbit where it is closest to the Sun.

Answer 13

PERIHELION

Question 14

• The point in a comet’s orbit where it is farthest from the Sun.

Answer 14

APHELION

Question 15

• The process where a meteoroid burns up due to friction with Earth’s atmosphere,
  creating the meteor’s visible trail.

Answer 15

ABLATION

Question 16

A type of glassy object formed by the melting of terrestrial debris during a meteorite
impact.

Answer 16

TETKTITE

Question 17

A well-known Near-Earth asteroid that will have close encounters with Earth in the future.

Answer 17

APOPHIS

Question 18

The process by which an asteroid separates into layers (core, mantle, crust)
based on the density of materials, often seen in larger asteroids.

Answer 18

DIFFERENTIATION

Question 19

The bending of light around a massive object, like an asteroid or planet, which can be
used to detect objects in space.

Answer 19

LENSING

Question 20

• A small celestial body formed from dust and gas in the early solar system, which
  can come together to form planets or asteroids.

Answer 20

PLANETESIMAL

Question 21

The measure of how much sunlight an object reflects; asteroids with low albedo are
darker, while high-albedo objects are brighter.

Answer 21

ALBEDO

Question 22

• The speed an object must reach to break free from a planet’s or celestial
  body’s gravitational influence.

Answer 22

ESCAPE VELOCITY

Question 23

A technique used to analyze the chemical composition of meteorites or
asteroids to learn more about the materials that make up the solar system.

Answer 23

MASS SPECTROMETRY

Question 24

• A type of small celestial object that has characteristics of both comets and asteroids
  and orbits between Jupiter and Neptune.

Answer 24

CENTAUR

Question 25

• The release of gases from a comet’s nucleus as it heats up near the Sun,
  contributing to the formation of the coma and tails.

Answer 25

OUTGASSING

Question 26

Rock fragments that have been cemented together by the pressure and heat of a
meteorite impact.

Answer 26

BRECCIA

Question 27

An ancient, stable part of Earth’s crust that is more resistant to meteorite impacts.

Answer 27

CRATION

Question 28

The large impact crater in the Yucatan Peninsula, formed by the asteroid
believed to have caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Answer 28

CHICXULUB CRATER

Question 29

• Ground, typically found in polar regions, that remains frozen year-round, sometimes
  containing ancient organic material, including meteoritic debris.

Answer 29

PERMAFROST

Question 30

A three-dimensional geometric shape resembling a flattened sphere, often used to
describe the general shape of some asteroids.

Answer 30

ELLIPSOID