METEOROIDS
DWARF PLANETS
COMETS
ASTEROIDS
100
What is a meteoroid?
Answer: A relatively small piece of rock or metal traveling through space.
100
Name one dwarf planet.
100
What are comets mainly made of?
A. Ice, dust, and rock
B. Only metal
C. Only gases
D. Molten rock
A. Ice, dust, and rock
100
Asteroids are primarily made of what?
Answer: Rock and metal
200
What is the difference between a meteoroid and a meteor?
Answer: A meteoroid is in space; a meteor is the streak of light produced when it enters an atmosphere.
200
What characteristic makes a dwarf planet different from a major planet?
A dwarf planet differs from a major planet because it:
☐ Orbits the Sun
☐ Is nearly round because of its own gravity
☑ Has NOT cleared its orbital neighborhood of other objects
☐ Does not orbit another planet
A dwarf planet has not cleared its orbital neighborhood, while a major planet has.
200
What may form when a comet approaches the Sun?
Answer: A coma and tail
200
Where is the main asteroid belt located?
Answer: Between Mars and Jupiter
300
Why can meteorites provide useful evidence about the early Solar System?
Answer: They contain materials that can be analyzed to learn about the composition and history of the early Solar System.
300
Is Pluto a planet under the current classification? Yes or no? why?
No. Pluto is currently classified as a dwarf planet.
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) established the criteria for a planet in our Solar System. A planet must:
- Orbit the Sun.
- Be nearly round because of its own gravity.
- Have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. (Pluto is in the Kuiper Belt, a region containing many icy objects. Pluto shares its orbital region with many other objects and is not gravitationally dominant there. )
Pluto meets the first two criteria but does not meet the third, so it is classified as a dwarf planet.
300
Why does a comet develop a tail when it approaches the Sun?
Answer: Heat from the Sun causes its icy material to release gas and dust.
300
Why are asteroids considered remnants of the early Solar System?
Answer: They contain material left over from the formation of the Solar System.