Which object is a meteor?

OBJECTWhat it is made

ofLocation

where seen

1 Gases and dustOrbiting the

Sun

2 RockOrbiting the

Sun

3 RockEntering Earth’s

atmosphere

4 rockLying in a hole

in a field

• Not Object 1 because it’s made of gas and dust (and orbiting the Sun) implies a comet

• Not Object 2 because it is orbiting the Sun (must be an asteroid)

• Not Object 4 because it is not in space (meteorite?)

• CORRECT ANSWER: Object 3 (a meteor is a streak of light produced by friction with air when an object (rock) from space enters a planet’s atmosphere)

2. A student created a diagram showing a region of the solar system

Star

Planet 1

Planet 2

• Option A (kilometer is too small)

• Option B (miles is also too small)

• Option C (Light-year, it would only be a few light minutes between the planets, too large a unit to use)

• CORRECT ANSWER: Option D (Astronomical unit, the distance between the Earth and the Sun, 150 million Km)

3. A student created a graphic organizer below, describing the ultimate fate of stars:

Dwarfstars

Red giants

Super giant

Neutronstar X

• Not Option A (Nebular Star? What the heck is that?)

• Not Option C (A Binary Star isn’t formed as a result of a star dying)

• Not Option D (A supernova can be created when a star dies, but nothing is left -like with a the other options listed)

• CORRECT ANSWER: Option B must be correct. A Black Hole can form at the end of a star’s life cycle.

4. A cross-section of the Sun is shown to

the left:

Which energy-releasingprocess is happening atThe region of the Sun Indicated by the arrow?

• Option B is the breaking apart of atoms (the opposite of what happens in stars)

• Option C is not even a real thing

• Option D is not a real thing either

• CORRECT ANSWER: Option A nuclear fusion is the process of atoms fusing together and releasing HUGE amounts of energy.

SUN

EARTH

Distance

• It’s not A because it only takes 8 light minutes to get to Earth from the Sun, a light-year is too far!

• It’s not C because a kilometer is way too short…

• It’s not D because the distance is only 93 MILLION miles, not 1 trillion miles.

• CORRECT ANSWER: B 1 astronomical unit is defined as the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.

6. Study the HR Diagram on the right.Which of the following is TRUE according to the diagram?

A The hottest stars are red stars.B White dwarfs are brighter [more luminous] than supergiants.C Blue-white stars are the coldest stars.D Red-orange giants are bright, cool stars.

7. An object composed mainly of ice is orbiting the Sun in an elliptical path. This object is most likely -

A. a planet B. an asteroid C. a meteor D. a comet

Even I know the answer to this one!

8. Which of the following keeps the planets in our solar system in orbit around the Sun?

A atmospheric pressureB electromagnetic energyC gravitational forceD thermal energy

I should know the answer to

this one…

9. Whether a star would ultimately become a White Dwarf, or a Supergiant, would depend on its’...

A surface temperatureB distance from the SunC original massD color and spectral type

If I were a star, I’d be a super

giant!

10. The process shown below occurs in all stars:

This process is accompanied by a...A production of extremely massive particles

B release of a great amount of energyC breakdown of very heavy nucleiD loss of a huge amount of pressure