ASTRO 150 final questions with accurate
answers
All regular satellites in our solar system are synchronous rotators. What
does this mean? Ans✓✓✓ They keep the same face toward their parent
planet
Asteroids larger than about 500 km are spherical because Ans✓✓✓
their central pressure is greater than the strength of rocks
Astronomers estimate that there may be a trillion cometary nuclei in the
Kuiper belt. Despite their large numbers they have only been discovered
in the last 15 years. Why is this? Ans✓✓✓ Cometary nuclei have a very
low albedo and are hard to detect so far out
At what distance do comets start to become active? Ans✓✓✓ 3 AU
Below is a relectance spectra of two different objects.
What wavelength is the best place for a filter to distinguish the two
objects? Ans✓✓✓ whichever filter shows the greatest difference in
brightness of the two objects.
Compared to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, ordinary chondrite
meteorites are: Ans✓✓✓ depleted in volatile elements
Compared to the surfaces of asteroids, the surfaces of Kuiper belt
objects are Ans✓✓✓ More volatile rich
, For the object above, what is the brightness of the object? Ans✓✓✓ .25
Where the albedo peaks
For the object above, what is the brightness of the object? Ans✓✓✓ .6
Halley's Comet takes about 76 years to orbit the sun. Why do we believe
that Halley's Comet was not in its present orbit 4 billion years ago?
Ans✓✓✓ It would have completely disintegrated if it had been in this
orbit for 4 Byrs
How can we determine the composition of the surface of a Kuiper belt
object? Ans✓✓✓ By analyzing the light reflected from the surface of a
Kuiper belt object.
How can we determine the composition of the surface of Jupiter's
satellite Europa? Ans✓✓✓ By analyzing the light reflected from the
surface of Europa
How do we know that the asteroid belt was not a single planet that
exploded? Ans✓✓✓ We have Carbonaceous Chondrite meteorites
How do you get pieces of asteroids make it to the surface of the Earth?
Ans✓✓✓ Impacts can disrupt the asteroid, and interaction with Jupiter
will send the pieces to Earth
answers
All regular satellites in our solar system are synchronous rotators. What
does this mean? Ans✓✓✓ They keep the same face toward their parent
planet
Asteroids larger than about 500 km are spherical because Ans✓✓✓
their central pressure is greater than the strength of rocks
Astronomers estimate that there may be a trillion cometary nuclei in the
Kuiper belt. Despite their large numbers they have only been discovered
in the last 15 years. Why is this? Ans✓✓✓ Cometary nuclei have a very
low albedo and are hard to detect so far out
At what distance do comets start to become active? Ans✓✓✓ 3 AU
Below is a relectance spectra of two different objects.
What wavelength is the best place for a filter to distinguish the two
objects? Ans✓✓✓ whichever filter shows the greatest difference in
brightness of the two objects.
Compared to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, ordinary chondrite
meteorites are: Ans✓✓✓ depleted in volatile elements
Compared to the surfaces of asteroids, the surfaces of Kuiper belt
objects are Ans✓✓✓ More volatile rich
, For the object above, what is the brightness of the object? Ans✓✓✓ .25
Where the albedo peaks
For the object above, what is the brightness of the object? Ans✓✓✓ .6
Halley's Comet takes about 76 years to orbit the sun. Why do we believe
that Halley's Comet was not in its present orbit 4 billion years ago?
Ans✓✓✓ It would have completely disintegrated if it had been in this
orbit for 4 Byrs
How can we determine the composition of the surface of a Kuiper belt
object? Ans✓✓✓ By analyzing the light reflected from the surface of a
Kuiper belt object.
How can we determine the composition of the surface of Jupiter's
satellite Europa? Ans✓✓✓ By analyzing the light reflected from the
surface of Europa
How do we know that the asteroid belt was not a single planet that
exploded? Ans✓✓✓ We have Carbonaceous Chondrite meteorites
How do you get pieces of asteroids make it to the surface of the Earth?
Ans✓✓✓ Impacts can disrupt the asteroid, and interaction with Jupiter
will send the pieces to Earth
