AEA Quiz Questions and Answers

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AEA Quiz Questions and Answers (Verified)

• what do asteroids and comets have in common?

ANS most are unchanged since their formation in the solar nebula

• why do asteroids and comets differ in composition

ANS asteroids formed inside the frost line, while comets formed outside

• what is the size of the largest asteroid?

ANS 1,000 km

• the combined mass of all the asteroids in the asteroid belt is

ANS less than that of any terrestrial planet

• the large gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps) are caused

by ANS orbital resonances with Jupiter

• if we know the size of an asteroid, we can determine its density by 1 / 2

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ANS deter- mining its mass from its gravitational pull on a spacecraft, satellite, or planet

• why aren't small asteroids spherical in shape

ANS the strength of gravity on small asteroids is less than the strength of the rock

• a typical shooting star in the mentor shower is caused by a entering

Earth;s atmosphere ANS pea-size particle from an asteroid

• processed meteorites with high metal content probably are

ANS chunks of a larger asteroid that was shattered by a collision

• in order to have a comet named after you, you have to

ANS be one of the first three discoverers who report it to the International Astronomical Union (IAU)

• when do comets generally begin to form a tail?

ANS Inside of Jupiter's orbit

• why won't pluto collide with neptune?

ANS the two planets have an orbital reso- nance that prevents them from colliding

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