Question 1

Which planet or dwarf planet in our solar system has the moon with the largest LARGEST diameter compared with the diameter of the planet or dwarf planet itself?

Accepted Answer

Pluto's moon Charon has a diameter of about 1,212 kilometers, which is about half the diameter of Pluto itself (2,377 kilometers). Therefore, Charon has the largest diameter compared to its planet or dwarf planet.

Question 2

The Pluto-Charon system moves in which way in its mutual motion?

Accepted Answer

Charon orbits Pluto with exactly the same rotation period as Pluto, meaning they are tidally locked to each other. This results in the same side of Pluto and Charon always facing each other.

Question 3

What is unique about the Pluto-Charon system,compared with all other planets in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

Both Pluto and Charon are in synchronous rotation, meaning they always face each other with the same side, which is unique compared to other planets and their moons in the solar system.

Question 4

Pluto is believed to have:

Accepted Answer

Recent studies have suggested that Pluto has a thin atmosphere that contains mostly nitrogen, with traces of methane and carbon monoxide.

Question 5

What is the largest LARGEST moon of the dwarf planet Pluto called?

Accepted Answer

Charon is the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto, with a diameter of approximately 1,212 kilometers. Chiron is a centaur and not a moon of Pluto, Callisto is a moon of Jupiter, and Triton is a moon of Neptune.

Question 6

Based on its mean density,the dwarf planet Pluto is:

Accepted Answer

Pluto's mean density is 1.860 g/cm3, which is denser than the Jovian planets but lighter than the terrestrial planets.

Question 7

Pluto''s mass was poorly known before 1978.What happened in that year to change this?

Accepted Answer

The discovery of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, in 1978 allowed astronomers to calculate Pluto's mass more accurately by observing the orbital dynamics between Pluto and Charon.

Question 8

Which one of the followingobject is a small solar system body?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which one of the followingobject is a...

Question 9

What technique has allowed scientists to determine the relative sizes of Pluto and Charon?

Accepted Answer

Eclipses of Pluto's surface by its moon, Charon, during 1985-1990 allowed scientists to determine their relative sizes by observing the changes in brightness as they passed in front of each other.

Question 10

If you were standing on Pluto,how often would you see the satellite Charon rise above the horizon each day?

Accepted Answer

Charon is a synchronous satellite, which means it orbits Pluto with an orbital period exactly equal to Pluto's rotation period. This means that it always stays above the same spot on Pluto's surface, and therefore, it never rises or sets.

Question 11

The first satellite discovered in orbit about Pluto was Charon.What is unusual about this moon?

Accepted Answer

Compared with planet-satellite systems in the rest of the solar system, Charon is very large and very close to Pluto.

Question 12

Based on its mean density,the dwarf planet Pluto appears to be composed of:

Accepted Answer

Pluto's mean density is about 2.03 g/cm³, which is much lower than that of rock and iron. This suggests that Pluto's composition is primarily ice (water ice, methane ice, and nitrogen ice) mixed with some rock.

Question 13

How was the dwarf planet Pluto discovered?

Accepted Answer

Pluto was discovered by searching photographs of the sky for an object that moved against the background of distant stars. This method is known as photographic plates or astrography. American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh used this method to discover Pluto in 1930.

Question 14

Which of the following objects was discovered in the twentieth century?

Accepted Answer

Pluto was discovered in 1930, which is in the twentieth century. Uranus, Neptune, and Ceres were discovered in earlier centuries.

Question 15

Which of the following objects was farthest from the Sun in 1990?

Accepted Answer

In 1990, Pluto was the farthest object from the Sun among the given options. Pluto's orbit is highly elliptical, and during this time, it was farther from the Sun than Neptune.

Question 16

Pluto was discovered in:

Accepted Answer

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.

Question 17

Of the followingWhich objects in the solar system,which one has the greatest orbital inclination (orbit at the greatest angle to that of the EarthEarth)?

Accepted Answer

Among the given options, Pluto has the greatest orbital inclination with an angle of approximately 17 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. This means that its orbit is tilted the most compared to the orbital plane of the Earth.

Question 18

Some of the definitions of the different types of objects in the solar system overlap.Which one of the following pairs does not NOT overlap? That is,if an object can be described by one of the labels,it cannot be described by the other.

Accepted Answer

Meteoroids are small rocks or particles in space that are much smaller than planets, while planets are much larger and have cleared their orbit of other debris. Therefore, an object cannot be both a meteoroid and a planet. The other options all have overlapping definitions, such as dwarf planets and asteroids both being small, rocky objects in the solar system.

Question 19

Of the followingWhich objects in the solar system,which one has the greatest orbital eccentricity and therefore the most MOST elliptical orbit?

Accepted Answer

Pluto has the greatest orbital eccentricity (0.25) among the given options, resulting in the most elliptical orbit.

Question 20

Pluto is not NOT believed to have an unusually large:

Accepted Answer

Pluto is not believed to have an unusually large spin rate. Its rotation period is about 6.4 Earth days, which is not particularly fast compared to other celestial bodies. However, it does have a large satellite, Charon, relative to its size, and its orbit is both highly eccentric and inclined compared to the planets in the solar system.

Quiz 8: Vagabonds of the Solar System