Exploring Pluto: From Dwarf Planet to Fascinating Discoveries

What was the primary goal of NASA's New Horizons mission?

• To investigate the asteroid belt

• To study the rings of Saturn

• To explore Pluto and its moons

• To explore the surface of Mars

Why was Pluto reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006?

• It was too far from the Sun

• It had not cleared its orbit of similar-sized objects

• It was smaller than Earth's moon

• It had no atmosphere

Who discovered Pluto and in what year?

• Clyde Tombaugh in 1930

• Galileo Galilei in 1610

• Isaac Newton in 1687

• Albert Einstein in 1905

What significant feature did the New Horizons mission discover on Pluto?

• A large volcano

• A heart-shaped glacier

• A massive canyon

• A ring system

What is the process called that caused Pluto's position to shift due to the weight of the icy glacier?

• Gravitational lensing

• Orbital resonance

• True polar wander

• Plate tectonics

What is cryovolcanism, as observed on Pluto?

• Eruptions of hot molten lava

• Eruptions of slushy cold material

• Eruptions of gaseous clouds

• Eruptions of solid rock

What unique feature is found in Pluto's glaciers that is unlike anything on Earth's glaciers?

• Frozen lakes

• Convection cells

• Circular ice patterns

• Ice volcanoes

What drives Pluto's atmosphere and climate according to the New Horizons findings?

• Methane gas emissions

• Nitrogen ice cycle

• Solar winds

• Magnetic fields

What surprising feature was found on Pluto's moon, Charon?

• A ring system

• A giant cryoflow

• A dense atmosphere

• A large ocean

What do the fewer small craters on Pluto and Charon suggest about the Kuiper Belt?

• It has more large objects

• It has fewer small objects

• It is denser than expected

• It is closer to the Sun