Small Solar System Objects

Question 1

What does kometes mean

Answer 1

Long hair

Question 2

Write a few sentences to summarize the structure of a comet

Answer 2

Solid nucleus. Surrounded by gas and dust from a fuzzy outer layer called coma. And a gas tail

Question 3

The object is slightly smaller than Pluto. It orbits the sun beyond Neptune and is spherical

Answer 3

Dwarf planet

Question 4

This object is irregularly shaped. It orbits the sun just outside of Mars

Answer 4

Asteroid

Question 5

This object is a chunk of rock and metal. It was once part of another object that orbited the sun

Answer 5

Meteoroid

Question 6

This object is composed of ice and rock. It orbits the sun in an elongated orbit, raking many years to complete one orbit

Answer 6

Comet

Question 7

Which to types of objects are hardest to tell apart? Why?

Answer 7

Asteroid + meteoroid. Because a meteoroid is just a smaller asteroid

Question 8

______ are rocky, while _______ are made of ice and dust

Answer 8

Asteroids Comets

Question 9

What is the difference between a dwarf planet and an Asteroid

Answer 9

DP have enough gravity to pull together to be a sphere, while asteroids don’t

Question 10

How and why does a comet change as it approaches the sun?

Answer 10

It s tail grows because it gets energy/heat from the sun

Question 11

All the solar system objects include

Answer 11

Dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, comets

Question 12

Meteoroid

Answer 12

A chunk of rock or dust in space, generally smaller then an asteroid

Question 13

Dwarf planet

Answer 13

An object that orbits the sun and is spherical, but has not cleared the area of its orbit. And many objects are in the way of its orbit

Question 14

Comet

Answer 14

Loose collection of ice, dust, and small rock particles that glow and stream outwards.

Question 15

What year where dwarf planets developed

Answer 15

2006

Question 16

What year did scientists identify 5 dwarf planets

Answer 16

2009

Question 17

What are the 5 dwarf planets

Answer 17

Pluto, eris, makemake, Ceres haumea

Question 18

Where does Ceres orbit?

Answer 18

Asteroid belt

Question 19

Where do the other 4 dwarf planets orbit (this is excluding Ceres)

Answer 19

Beyond the Kuiper belt

Question 20

What is a dwarf planet that orbits beyond Neptune called?

Answer 20

Plutoid

Question 21

Which dwarf planet might be beyond the Kuiper belt

Answer 21

Eris

Question 22

What is the largest dwarf planet?

Answer 22

Eris

Question 23

How many moons does Pluto have? What are they?

Answer 23

3:Charon,nix,hydra

Question 24

How many moons does Haumea have

Answer 24

2

Question 25

How many moons does eris have

Answer 25

1

Question 26

Where is the asteroid belt?

Answer 26

Between mars and Jupiter

Question 27

Where is the Kuiper belt?

Answer 27

Beyond Neptune’s orbit

Question 28

Where is the Oort Cloud

Answer 28

Stretched out more then 1,000 times the distance between the sun and Neptune

Question 29

Where do comets originate

Answer 29

The Oort Cloud

Question 30

What are the 2 tail of a comet

Answer 30

Gas tail and dust tail

Question 31

Where do comets tail point

Answer 31

Gas tail- away from the sun

Dust tail- along the path the comet has taken

Question 32

How long can a comets tail be

Answer 32

Over 100 million kilometers

Question 33

Where does an asteroid orbit

Answer 33

The asteroid belt

Question 34

Ceres

Answer 34

Both dwarf planet and largest asteroid

Question 35

Which asteroids are more then 300 kilometers across

Answer 35

Ceres, Pallas, vesta, hygiea

Question 36

How big are meteoroids

Answer 36

Generally less than 10 meters across

Question 37

How do meteoroids from

Answer 37

When asteroids collide or when comets break up

Question 38

What are often called shooting stars (but aren’t really shooting stars)

Answer 38

Meteorites

Question 39

Every year when earth passes through the same areas _______ occur

Answer 39

Meteor showers