Science Solar System Quiz Flashcards
Why was Pluto no longer to be classified as a planet in the 2006 Conference of the IUA?
During that time, many other dwarf planets smaller and closer to asteroids were being found all over the Solar System. Instead of having to add many more to the planet list and teach many more planets in school, they created a new classification.
How is Ceres different from the other planets?
Ceres is made of rock rather than ice and is in the Asteroid Belt
How do dwarf planets compare in size with Earth?
They are way smaller
Which criteria of a planet does Pluto meet?
It’s spherical and it orbits the Sun.
What makes it a dwarf planet rather than a planet, by those criteria?
It hasn’t cleared out its orbit
What about the other dwarf planets? Why aren’t they considered planets by the IUA definition of planet?
They’re surrounded by other objects and haven’t cleared out its orbit.
Difference between asteroids and comets
Asteroids are rocky, comets are made of frozen materials.
What happens to comets when they are too close to the Sun?
The comet’s frozen materials sublimate into gas due to the Sun’s heat, and the gas makes comet tails.
Where do comets come from?
The Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud
Where do Near Earth Objects come from?
Between the Sun and the Asteroid Belt
What are asteroids/meteorites made of?
Iron/Nickel = Earth's core Stony = Olivine materials like the crust and mantle Stony-Iron = combined of the above Chondrites = Contains minerals and carbon based ingredients for life
Difference between meteroid, meteorite, and meteor
Meteroids = in space Meteorites = Impact the surface, don't burn up on entry Meteors = Vaporizing meteoroids passing through the Earth's atmosphere
