Module 7 HW

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Astronomy

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Dec 6, 2023

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docx

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Chapter 13 1. Why are asteroids and comets important to our understanding of solar system history? They have not undergone chemical differentiation like large planet-sized bodies and therefore retain the same structure and and composition upon formation. Asteroids and comets provide evidence of the conditions in the solar nebula and early solar system. 3. Describe the main differences between C-type and S-type asteroids. C-types are rich in carbon compounds and less reflective while S-types are silicate- based and more reflective. C-type asteroids are primitive and are very little changed since formation. 5. Vesta is unusual as it contains what mineral on its surface? What does the presence of this material indicate? Vesta contains basalt. This indicates volcanic activity in the past. 7. Briefly describe NASA’s Spaceguard Survey. How many objects have been found in this survey? NASA’s Spaceguard Survey began in 1998 with the intent to discover all near-Earth asteroids that are greater than 1 km in diameter. Close to 1000 objects have been found. 10. Describe the two types of comet tails and how each are formed. Comets usually have a dust tail and an ion tail. The dust tail is formed by sunlight imparting energy to the dust particles. The ion tail is composed of charged particles and is pushed away by the streams of charged particles from the Sun. The dust tail is larger and tends to curve as the particles go into orbit around the Sun while the ion tail tends to be straighter as the particles are pushed away from the Sun. 13. What evidence do we have for the existence of the Kuiper belt? What kind of objects are found there?
Over a thousand members of the Kuiper belt have been found directly in recent years such as dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, and Makemake. 14. Give brief descriptions of both the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. The Kuiper belt is a disk-shaped region of space past the orbit of Neptune that is dynamically stable. It is the source of short-period comets. The Oort cloud is much farther than the Kuiper belt and it is a spherical region surrounding the Sun. It is the source of newly discovered long-period comets. Chapter 14 1. A friend of yours who has not taken astronomy sees a meteor shower (she calls it a bunch of shooting stars). The next day she confides in you that she was concerned that the stars in the Big Dipper (her favorite star pattern) might be the next ones to go. How would you put her mind at ease? Meteors come from pieces of comets or asteroids that have broken off or been set free and there have never been missing stars reported. 2. In what ways are meteorites different from meteors? What is the probable origin of each? Meteorites are big enough to withstand passing through Earth’s atmosphere, where meteors disintegrate from the heat of friction. Meteors typically come from comets that pass through the solar system when their solid material is freed when the ice is vaporized from the Sun’s heat. Most meteorites are from asteroids or debris from the Moon or Mars during an impact. 3. How are comets related to meteor showers? Most meteor showers originate with particular comets that pass through the inner solar system and lose some solid material that then goes into orbit along the comet’s path. Showers happen when Earth passes through the path of the comet and it’s debris. 5. Describe the solar nebula, and outline the sequence of events within the nebula that gave rise to the planetesimals.
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