Space Rocks! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Meteoroid

A meteoroid is a small particle or piece of rock floating around our galaxy, while a meteor is simply a meteoroid that is observed by humans as it burns up while entering the Earth's atmosphere. It is sometimes called a shooting star. Lastly, a meteorite is simply a meteoroid that survived entry into the Earth's atmosphere and impacted the surface of our planet.

Answer: True

There are some meteoroids, known as 'Earth grazing fireballs', which are usually very bright, that enter the Earth's atmosphere before reversing their direction of travel and exiting our atmosphere. These can be very dramatic in appearance and occasionally will appear to explode.

This painting, titled "The Meteor of 1860" by Frederic Church, is believed to have been this type of space phenomenon.

Answer: A meteorite that was observed falling and then was found.

Meteorites that are visually observed during their fall to earth and then are recovered are called 'falls'. Those that are not observed during their fall but are later recovered are called 'finds'. Since scientists have started keeping track, there have been approximately one thousand 'falls' and over 40,000 'finds'.

Answer: Its orbit

While both moons and asteroids are small rocky bodies found in space, the primary difference is that asteroids orbit the sun while moons orbit a planet. Also, moons are usually somewhat spherical while asteroids come in many different shapes, as can be seen in this image. Most asteroids in our galaxy come from the asteroid belt, which lies between the planets of Mars and Jupiter.

Answer: Plate tectonics have hidden or removed them.

Plate tectonics is responsible for the eradication of a large number of the Earth's many ancient impact craters. This occurs through earthquakes, flooding, and volcanic activity. The beautiful impact crater in this picture is the Manicouagan Crater found in Quebec, Canada.

It is approximately 60 miles wide and was made about 212 million years ago. This complex crater includes a small mountain peak in the center with a circular lake around it.

Answer: Meteor showers

Approximately 30 visible meteor showers occur every year. Some of the meteor showers have been regulary observed for over a century. Possibly the most well known meteor shower is the Perseid meteor shower which occurs each year in August. It was first recorded by the Chinese around the year 0. Meteor showers get their names from the constellation in which their radiant is located.

The Perseids get their name from the constellation Perseus.

Answer: Nucleus

Comets are composed of ice, dust and small rocks. The main body of the comet is called the nucleus. When comets are heated by the sun, they begin a process called sublimation, which can be compared to dry ice fizzing when left in the sun. The mixture of ice crystals and dust that blows away from a comet during its travels creates the tail, which is what is usually visible from the Earth.

Answer: Off the east coast of Mexico

Impacts with meteors and asteroids can wreak havoc on both objects involved. Approximately 66 million years ago a large meteor is thought to have hit the Earth, off the east coast of modern-day Mexico. It caused The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg event) which caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs as well as other plant and animal life forms. Most of the rocky moons and planets in our galaxy show signs of impact with meteors.

Answer: Large asteroids

Located between Mars and Jupiter, the Asteroid Belt is home to millions of asteroids. They range in size from a particle of dust to Ceres, a giant asteroid with a diameter of 950 km. Almost half of the mass found in the Asteroid Belt is made up of four asteroids known as Vesta, Hygiea, Pallas and the aforementioned Ceres.

These asteroids are possibly of great importance to the mining and space industries. Both factions have been working for years to figure out how to mine the valuable metals found in many of these objects.

This image is of the asteroid Ceres taken on May 7, 2015.

Answer: Moldavite

Moldavite is a rather dull greenish type of tektite or natural glass formed by the force and heat of a meteor impact. It derives its name from the town of Moldauthein in Bohemia where it occurs. It is sometimes used in jewelry making where it is called pseudo-chrysolite.