Astronomy Unit 9 Asteroids, comets, and Meteors

A scientist observes a comet that has comes from beyond Neptune and takes less than 200 years to orbit the Sun. Where can a scientist surmise that this comet MOST likely came from?

• outside our solar system

• the Oort Cloud

• the Kuiper Belt

• the Asteroid Belt

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

Where is the Kuiper Belt at?

• before Mercury

• between Jupiter and Saturn

• between Mars and Earth

• beyond Neptune

The tails of the comets are formed as _____ escape from the _____.

• gas and dust; coma

• ice and gas; surface

• dust and ice; coma

• ice and dust; nucleus

What does Comet mean in Greek?

• Tail

• Arc

• Trail

• Hair

A scientist is using a telescope and sees a comet that has a tail. What can they surmise about the comet?

• It has a retrograde orbit.

• It came from the Kuiper Belt.

• It came from the Oort Cloud.

• It is close and approaching the Sun.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Which of the following is the BEST description of the motion of comets?

• Despite their tails, comets are actually moving towards the Sun.

• Comets move slowly away from their “tails.”

• Despite their tails, comets remain in the same place.

• Comets move slowly towards their “tails.”

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Which of the following statements BEST explains the relationship between comets and ice?

• Comets have a thin layer of ice around them.

• Comets have an extremely thick layer of ice around them.

• Scientists debate how much ice comets contain.

• Comets vary widely in how much ice they contain.

Scientists generally believe that the original source of comets is:

• the outer planets.

• the moons of the planets.

• the inner planets.

• the Sun itself.

If a comet were so large that its mass generated more gravity, then what would happen?

• It wouldn’t have a tail.

• It wouldn’t orbit the Sun.

• It would have become an asteroid.

• It would have become a meteor.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

The Oort Cloud is a collection of:

• Gases

• Comets

• Meteors

• Asteroids