Small Bodies In Space Practice Quiz

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Quizzes Created: 17 | Total Attempts: 204,446
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  • 1/14 Questions

    What is a comet made out of?

    • Ice, gas, rock, and dust
    • Rock and metal
    • Chocolate
    • Metal and ice
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About This Quiz

The 'Small Bodies in Space Practice Quiz' assesses knowledge on celestial objects like meteoroids, meteors, asteroids, and comets, including their composition and behavior. It also covers classification of bodies like Pluto. This quiz is ideal for learners interested in understanding the smaller constituents of our solar system.

Small Bodies In Space Practice Quiz - Quiz

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  • 2. 

    What is Pluto?

    • Asteroid

    • Meta Planet

    • Comet

    • Dwarf Planet

    Correct Answer
    A. Dwarf Planet
    Explanation
    Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet because it does not meet the criteria to be considered a full-sized planet. It is smaller than the eight planets in our solar system and does not have a clear path around the sun. Additionally, Pluto is located in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune that is populated by many similar small objects. While it was once considered the ninth planet, its reclassification as a dwarf planet was due to a redefinition of what constitutes a planet.

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  • 3. 

    Where are most asteroids found?

    • Between Mercury and Venus

    • Between Jupiter and Saturn

    • Between Earth and Mars

    • Between Mars and Jupiter

    Correct Answer
    A. Between Mars and Jupiter
    Explanation
    Most asteroids are found between Mars and Jupiter. This region is known as the asteroid belt, which is a collection of small rocky objects orbiting the Sun. The gravitational influence of Jupiter prevented the formation of a planet in this region, causing the debris to accumulate and form asteroids instead.

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  • 4. 

    What is the shape of a comet's orbit?

    • Circular

    • Oval

    • Elliptical

    • Quadratical

    Correct Answer
    A. Elliptical
    Explanation
    Comets have elliptical orbits. This means that their paths around the sun are not perfectly circular, but rather elongated and stretched out. As a comet gets closer to the sun, it speeds up and its orbit becomes more elliptical. This causes the comet to experience different levels of heat and gravitational pull throughout its journey, resulting in its characteristic tail and periodic appearances in the night sky.

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  • 5. 

    When does a comet get a tail?

    • When it gets farther away from the sun

    • When it gets closer to the sun

    • When it gets father away from the Earth

    • When it gets closer to the Earth

    Correct Answer
    A. When it gets closer to the sun
    Explanation
    A comet gets a tail when it gets closer to the sun. As a comet approaches the sun, the heat causes the ice and other volatile substances on its surface to vaporize. This vaporization creates a glowing coma around the comet's nucleus, and the solar wind pushes the released gas and dust particles away from the nucleus, forming a tail that points away from the sun. The tail becomes more visible and elongated as the comet gets closer to the sun.

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  • 6. 

    What is an asteroid made out of?

    • Ice, dust, and gas

    • Cheese

    • Rock and metal

    • Ice and iron

    Correct Answer
    A. Rock and metal
    Explanation
    Asteroids are rocky and metallic objects that orbit the Sun. They are composed primarily of rock and metal, such as iron and nickel. This composition is determined through the analysis of meteorites that have fallen to Earth from asteroids. The presence of ice, dust, and gas is more commonly associated with comets rather than asteroids. Therefore, the correct answer is rock and metal.

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  • 7. 

    Where does a comet's tail always point?

    • Towards the sun

    • Away from the sun

    • Towards the Earth

    • Away from the Earth

    Correct Answer
    A. Away from the sun
    Explanation
    A comet's tail always points away from the sun because of the solar wind. The solar wind is a stream of charged particles emitted by the sun, and it pushes the gas and dust in the comet's tail away from the sun, creating the tail. Therefore, the tail is always directed in the opposite direction of the sun.

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  • 8. 

    Which is in space?

    • Meteorite

    • Meteorile

    • Meteor

    • Meteoroid

    Correct Answer
    A. Meteoroid
    Explanation
    A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic object that is in space. It is smaller than an asteroid and usually originates from a comet or asteroid belt. When a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere, it becomes a meteor, commonly known as a shooting star. If the meteor survives the journey through the atmosphere and lands on the Earth's surface, it is then called a meteorite. Therefore, the correct answer is meteoroid.

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  • 9. 
    This is a picture of _________________________. - ProProfs

    This is a picture of _________________________.

    • Meteoroids

    • Asteroids

    • Meteors

    • Comets

    Correct Answer
    A. Meteors
    Explanation
    This is a picture of meteors. Meteors are small celestial bodies that enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating a streak of light in the sky. They are often referred to as shooting stars. The image likely captures the moment when meteors are visible as bright streaks against the dark background of the night sky.

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  • 10. 

    Which burns up in the atmosphere?

    • Meteor

    • Meteoroid

    • Meteoridis

    • Meteorite

    Correct Answer
    A. Meteor
    Explanation
    A meteor is the correct answer because it is a small celestial body that enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up, creating a streak of light in the sky. Meteoroids are similar but refer to the actual object before it enters the atmosphere. Meteoridis and meteorite are not accurate terms and do not describe objects that burn up in the atmosphere.

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  • 11. 

    What is the difference between a asteroid and a meteoroid?  Check all that apply.

    • Size

    • Location

    • Composition

    • Color

    Correct Answer
    A. Size
    Explanation
    The difference between an asteroid and a meteoroid is primarily in their size. Asteroids are larger celestial bodies that orbit the Sun, while meteoroids are smaller fragments of asteroids or comets that travel through space. The other options, such as location, composition, and color, do not necessarily differentiate between the two.

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  • 12. 

    Where do comets come from? Choose all that apply.

    • The Comet belt

    • The Oort cloud

    • The Nimbus cloud

    • Around the orbit of Jupiter

    • The Kuiper belt

    • The Asteroid belt

    Correct Answer(s)
    A. The Oort cloud
    A. The Kuiper belt
    Explanation
    Comets are believed to come from two main sources: the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt. The Oort cloud is a hypothetical cloud of icy objects located far beyond the orbit of Neptune, while the Kuiper belt is a region of the solar system beyond Neptune's orbit that is populated with small icy bodies. These two regions are considered the primary sources of comets, as they contain a large number of icy objects that can be gravitationally disturbed and sent into the inner solar system, where they become visible as comets.

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  • 13. 

    What are the names of a comet's tails?

    • The Oort tail and the Kuiper tail

    • The dust tail and the gas tail

    • The ion tail and the dust tail the rock tail and the ion tail

    • The ion tail and the dust tail

    Correct Answer
    A. The ion tail and the dust tail
    Explanation
    Comets have two main types of tails: the ion tail and the dust tail. The ion tail is composed of charged particles that are affected by the solar wind, causing it to point away from the Sun. The dust tail, on the other hand, is made up of larger particles such as dust and rocks that are blown away from the comet's nucleus by radiation pressure and solar wind. These tails can be seen as the comet gets closer to the Sun and the heat causes the ice to vaporize and release particles, creating a glowing trail behind the comet.

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  • 14. 

    How do dwarf planets differ from planets? Choose all that apply.

    • They have less mass

    • They are colder

    • They have not cleared their neighborhood

    • They are all located in the asteroid belt

    Correct Answer(s)
    A. They have less mass
    A. They have not cleared their neighborhood
    Explanation
    Dwarf planets differ from planets in two main ways. Firstly, they have less mass than planets. This means that they are smaller and have less gravitational pull. Secondly, dwarf planets have not cleared their neighborhood, which means that they share their orbit with other objects of similar size. This is in contrast to planets, which have cleared their neighborhood by gravitationally dominating their orbit and removing any other objects. The statements about being colder and located in the asteroid belt are not accurate distinctions between dwarf planets and planets.

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  • Current Version
  • Mar 20, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • May 09, 2011
    Quiz Created by
    Marquart

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