Astronomy 1010 Exam #2 Chapter 12 Questions and Answers Fully Solved
During the formation of the Solar System, smaller particles in the solar nebula combined to form
planetesimals, some of which provided the building blocks for planets. The majority of planetesimals did
not become planets, however, and some of them remain in the Solar System today as debris left over
from the time of planet formation. Asteroids are a special class of planetesimals that orbit around the
Sun.
Study the distribution of known asteroids shown in this figure, and choose all of the statements below
that match your observations.
Choose one or more:
A. The majority of asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars.
B. All of the asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars.
C. Asteroids have been discovered as far out as Pluto.
D. The majority of asteroids exist inside of Mars' orbit.
E. There are clumps of asteroids that exist at particular spots in Jupiter's orbit.
F. Asteroids are rand - AnswersA. The majority of asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars.
E. There are clumps of asteroids that exist at particular spots in Jupiter's orbit.
G. Some asteroids cross Earth's orbit as they orbit around the Sun.
The majority of asteroids exist in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Why would that be the
case? The are two main possibilities: There used to be a planet there that was destroyed in a giant
impact, or the planetesimals there were somehow prevented from forming a planet in the first place. To
figure out which of these is correct, we can look at spectra to determine the composition of the
asteroids themselves and study actual samples of asteroids that fell to Earth—that is, meteorites.
The figure below explains the difference between the types of asteroids and meteorites.
, Based on the figure, which asteroid types would be more common if they were the result of a shattered
planet?
Choose one or more:
A. M-type
B. C-type
C. S-type
D. All types would be equally common. - AnswersA. M-type
C. S-type
At least 75% of asteroids are primordial C-type. What does this imply about how the asteroid belt was
formed?
Choose one:
A. It was formed entirely of the pieces of a shattered planet.
B. It was formed mostly from pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to
differentiate, but it also contains some pieces of objects that were large enough to differentiate and
were later shattered.
C. It was formed entirely of pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to
differentiate, and thus were never part of a planet.
D. It was formed mostly from pieces of objects that were large enough to differentiate and were later
shattered, but it also contains some planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to
differentiate. - AnswersB. It was formed mostly from pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from
getting large enough to differentiate, but it also contains some pieces of objects that were large enough
to differentiate and were later shattered.
What determines an asteroid's shape?
Choose one:
A. All of the asteroids have irregular shapes and are similar in size.
B. All of the asteroids have irregular shapes but come in a range of sizes.
C. Asteroids have a range of sizes, with the largest being spherical and the smaller ones irregular in
shape.
During the formation of the Solar System, smaller particles in the solar nebula combined to form
planetesimals, some of which provided the building blocks for planets. The majority of planetesimals did
not become planets, however, and some of them remain in the Solar System today as debris left over
from the time of planet formation. Asteroids are a special class of planetesimals that orbit around the
Sun.
Study the distribution of known asteroids shown in this figure, and choose all of the statements below
that match your observations.
Choose one or more:
A. The majority of asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars.
B. All of the asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars.
C. Asteroids have been discovered as far out as Pluto.
D. The majority of asteroids exist inside of Mars' orbit.
E. There are clumps of asteroids that exist at particular spots in Jupiter's orbit.
F. Asteroids are rand - AnswersA. The majority of asteroids exist in a region between Jupiter and Mars.
E. There are clumps of asteroids that exist at particular spots in Jupiter's orbit.
G. Some asteroids cross Earth's orbit as they orbit around the Sun.
The majority of asteroids exist in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Why would that be the
case? The are two main possibilities: There used to be a planet there that was destroyed in a giant
impact, or the planetesimals there were somehow prevented from forming a planet in the first place. To
figure out which of these is correct, we can look at spectra to determine the composition of the
asteroids themselves and study actual samples of asteroids that fell to Earth—that is, meteorites.
The figure below explains the difference between the types of asteroids and meteorites.
, Based on the figure, which asteroid types would be more common if they were the result of a shattered
planet?
Choose one or more:
A. M-type
B. C-type
C. S-type
D. All types would be equally common. - AnswersA. M-type
C. S-type
At least 75% of asteroids are primordial C-type. What does this imply about how the asteroid belt was
formed?
Choose one:
A. It was formed entirely of the pieces of a shattered planet.
B. It was formed mostly from pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to
differentiate, but it also contains some pieces of objects that were large enough to differentiate and
were later shattered.
C. It was formed entirely of pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to
differentiate, and thus were never part of a planet.
D. It was formed mostly from pieces of objects that were large enough to differentiate and were later
shattered, but it also contains some planetesimals that were prevented from getting large enough to
differentiate. - AnswersB. It was formed mostly from pieces of planetesimals that were prevented from
getting large enough to differentiate, but it also contains some pieces of objects that were large enough
to differentiate and were later shattered.
What determines an asteroid's shape?
Choose one:
A. All of the asteroids have irregular shapes and are similar in size.
B. All of the asteroids have irregular shapes but come in a range of sizes.
C. Asteroids have a range of sizes, with the largest being spherical and the smaller ones irregular in
shape.
