Travelers from the Deep: Long-Period Comets Quiz

  • 7th Grade
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| Questions: 20 | Updated: Feb 13, 2026
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1. What is the primary source region for long-period comets?

Explanation

The Oort Cloud is the correct answer. Long-period comets have orbits that take thousands or millions of years to complete, which is only possible if they originate from the Oort Cloud, a vast spherical reservoir located at the very edge of the solar system.

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About This Quiz
Travelers From The Deep: Long-period Comets Quiz - Quiz

Where do comets with orbits lasting thousands of years come from? This Long Period Comets Quiz explores the icy travelers that drop in from the furthest reaches of space. Learn how passing stars or galactic tides nudge these frozen objects toward the Sun for a rare appearance.

2. A comet with an orbital period of 5,000 years is considered a long-period comet.

Explanation

True. Astronomers define long-period comets as those with orbital periods longer than 200 years. Short-period comets usually come from the Kuiper Belt, while long-period ones come from the much more distant Oort Cloud.

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3. Long-period comets move in highly ____ orbits that look like very long ovals.

Explanation

Eccentric is the correct answer. An eccentric orbit is one that is highly elongated or "stretched out." This allows the comet to spend most of its time in the freezing outer solar system before diving briefly toward the Sun.

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4. Which forces can nudge an object from the Oort Cloud toward the Sun?

Explanation

Gravity from passing stars and galactic tidal forces are the correct answers. Because the Sun's gravity is so weak at the edge of the solar system, even tiny gravitational tugs from the rest of the galaxy can disrupt a comet's orbit.

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5. What happens to a long-period comet as it approaches the Sun?

Explanation

It speeds up is the correct answer. As a comet "falls" toward the Sun, gravity pulls it faster and faster. It reaches its maximum speed at perihelion (the point closest to the Sun) before slowing down as it heads back out to the Oort Cloud.

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6. Long-period comets can enter the inner solar system from any direction.

Explanation

True. Because the Oort Cloud is a sphere (unlike the flat Kuiper Belt), comets can arrive from above, below, or the sides of the planetary plane. This was the first major clue that the Oort Cloud was shaped like a ball.

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7. The process of ice turning directly into gas to form a comet's tail is called ____.

Explanation

Sublimation is the correct answer. In the vacuum of space, ice does not melt into liquid; instead, the Sun's heat causes it to turn directly into gas, which then carries dust away to form the visible tail.

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8. Why are long-period comets important to scientists?

Explanation

They are ancient, frozen samples of the early solar system is the correct answer. Because they have spent billions of years in the "deep freeze" of the Oort Cloud, they preserve the original chemical ingredients that formed the planets.

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9. Which of these are famous long-period comets?

Explanation

Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake are the correct answers. Halley's Comet is a short-period comet (76 years), while long-period comets like Hale-Bopp take thousands of years to return to our view.

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10. What is the typical temperature in the region where long-period comets stay?

Explanation

Near absolute zero is the correct answer. The Oort Cloud is so far from the Sun that temperatures are around -450°F. This extreme cold keeps the comet's ices solid and unchanged for billions of years.

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11. Every time a long-period comet passes the Sun, it loses some of its mass.

Explanation

True. The heat from the Sun boils away layers of ice and dust. Eventually, after many passes, the comet may lose all its ice and become a "dead" comet, which looks like a dark asteroid.

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12. A comet's orbit is shaped by the force of ____.

Explanation

Gravity is the correct answer. The Sun's gravitational pull is the "anchor" that keeps comets in orbit, even when they are trillions of miles away at the outer edge of the Oort Cloud.

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13. How long do long-period comets spend in the inner solar system?

Explanation

A few months to a year is the correct answer. Compared to their thousands of years in deep space, their visit to the "warm" part of the solar system is very brief. They zip in, grow a tail, and then fly back out.

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14. What are the two main parts of a comet's tail?

Explanation

The Ion and Dust tails are the correct answers. The Ion tail is made of charged gas and always points directly away from the Sun, while the Dust tail is made of solid particles and curves behind the comet's path.

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15. Scientists can predict exactly when a new long-period comet will be discovered.

Explanation

False. Because they spend so much time in the distant, dark Oort Cloud, many long-period comets are "one-time visitors" that we only see when they suddenly appear in our telescopes for the first time.

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16. The Oort Cloud is located about 2,000 to ____ AU from the Sun.

Explanation

100,000 is the correct answer. This massive distance means the Oort Cloud reaches nearly halfway to the next nearest star system, defining the true boundary of our solar system.

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17. What happens to a comet if it passes too close to the Sun?

Explanation

It can be torn apart by gravity or vaporized is the correct answer. These are often called "Sungrazers." The intense heat and tidal forces of the Sun can break the icy nucleus into pieces or destroy it completely.

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18. Which of these describe the path of a long-period comet?

Explanation

An elliptical path and a closed loop are the correct answers. While the orbits are very stretched out, they are still loops that return to the starting point—even if that return takes millions of years.

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19. Why don't we see long-period comets every night?

Explanation

Most are currently in the distant Oort Cloud is the correct answer. Only a tiny fraction of the trillions of objects in the Oort Cloud are ever nudged toward the Sun at any given time. Most stay in the dark, frozen outer shell of our system.

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20. The Oort Cloud is essentially a "comet nursery" where new comets are born today.

Explanation

False. It is more like a "comet cemetery" or "storage locker." The objects were formed 4.5 billion years ago; they are not being "born" now, they are just being preserved from the past.

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What is the primary source region for long-period comets?
A comet with an orbital period of 5,000 years is considered a...
Long-period comets move in highly ____ orbits that look like very long...
Which forces can nudge an object from the Oort Cloud toward the Sun?
What happens to a long-period comet as it approaches the Sun?
Long-period comets can enter the inner solar system from any...
The process of ice turning directly into gas to form a comet's tail is...
Why are long-period comets important to scientists?
Which of these are famous long-period comets?
What is the typical temperature in the region where long-period comets...
Every time a long-period comet passes the Sun, it loses some of its...
A comet's orbit is shaped by the force of ____.
How long do long-period comets spend in the inner solar system?
What are the two main parts of a comet's tail?
Scientists can predict exactly when a new long-period comet will be...
The Oort Cloud is located about 2,000 to ____ AU from the Sun.
What happens to a comet if it passes too close to the Sun?
Which of these describe the path of a long-period comet?
Why don't we see long-period comets every night?
The Oort Cloud is essentially a "comet nursery" where new comets are...
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