Other Objects in the Solar System Answers

65 million years ago there was a mass extinction that is best known for killing the dinosaurs. There was also a large deposit of dust that contained substances only found in asteroids. What most likely killed off the dinosaurs?

A scientist discovers a new body between the orbit of Neptune and the Kuiper Belt. The object is round and travels in an orbit around Neptune with other space objects. The scientist claims that she has found a new dwarf planet. Where is the scientist’s error?

Which statement about dwarf planet locations is correct?

Iridium is a substance found only in asteroids and other space objects. This graph shows the amount of Iridium found in different sediment layers of Earth. They are marked off into 17 sections representing time.

Abdid is an astronomer who has been observing objects that orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt. He finds a previously undiscovered round, rocky object that is not similar in shape to the rest of the asteroids. What has Abdid most likely found?

Mischka is an amateur astronomer. Using her telescope, she looks out past the Earth’s atmosphere and observes an object with a long, bright, cloud-like tail behind it. What is Mischka observing?

Shelly was surprised to learn the dwarf planet Pluto used to be considered a planet. What would have had to be true for Pluto to remain categorized as a planet?

A student is taking an animal science and an astronomy class. In animal sciences, she learns that pumas are called mountain lions and cougars in different parts of the world, but they are all the same cat. She makes an analogy, or comparison, to something she learned in her astronomy class. She says that a certain space object is like a puma because it is the same object but has different names depending on where it is. What space object is she thinking of?

In a Venn diagram, the separate circles contain characteristics unique to each item being compared and the intersections contain characteristics that are common to both items being compared. This Venn diagram compares meteoroids, asteroids, and comets.

Which of the following are dwarf planets? Check all that apply.