quiz

Asteroids Comets and Meteoroids

1. In which region of the solar system is the asteroid belt situated?

  • A) Orbiting within the Kuiper Belt
  • B) Encircling the orbit of Saturn
  • C) Situated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
  • D) Found near the orbit of Neptune
C) Situated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter Explanation

2. Which space shuttle crew was honored with asteroid names?

  • A) Atlantis
  • B) Challenger
  • C) Columbia
  • D) Discovery
C) Columbia Explanation

3. Which celestial bodies are often referred to as “dirty snowballs”?

  • A) Asteroids
  • B) Meteoroids
  • C) Comets
  • D) Dwarf planets
C) Comets Explanation

4. What causes the occurrence of meteor showers?

  • A) Earth's rotation speed
  • B) Earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by comets.
  • C)  Lunar eclipses
  • D) Solar flares
B) Earth passes through the trail of dusty debris left by comets. Explanation

5. How often does Halley’s Comet orbit the Sun?

  • A) 50 years
  • B) 76 years
  • C) 100 years
  • D) 125 years
B) 76 years Explanation

6. Where are comets likely to be found in our solar system?

  • A) Close to the Sun in the inner solar system
  • B) Orbiting Jupiter and Saturn
  • C) In the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
  • D) Inside the Earth's atmosphere
C) In the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Explanation

7. Which celestial object is often referred to as a “shooting star”?

  • A) Meteor
  • B) Comet
  • C) Asteroid
  • D) Planet
A) Meteor Explanation

8. Which space mission became the first to land on a comet?

  • A)  Stardust
  • B) Rosetta
  • C)  Voyager
  • D)  New Horizons
B) Rosetta Explanation

9. Which comet is the source of the Orionid meteor shower in October?

  • A) Comet Swift–Tuttle
  • B) Comet Wild 2
  • C) Comet Hale-Bopp
  • D) Halley's Comet
D) Halley's Comet Explanation

10. What are “Earth crossers” in astronomy?

  • A) Asteroids with orbits that cross Earth's orbit
  • B) Comets with orbits that intersect Earth's orbit
  • C) Planets that pass close to Earth
  • D) Moons of other planets that occasionally approach Earth
A)  Asteroids with orbits that cross Earth's orbit Explanation

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