Dwarf Planets Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is the diameter of Makemake compared to Haumea?

  • Twice as large
  • Slightly larger
  • About the same size
  • Slightly smaller (correct)

    • What is the primary component believed to cover the surface of Makemake?

  • Carbon dioxide ice
  • Water ice
  • Grains of frozen methane (correct)
  • Nitrogen ice

    • What is the distance of Makemake from the sun at this moment in time?

  • Over 50 astronomical units (correct)
  • 100 astronomical units
  • 10 astronomical units
  • 1 astronomical unit

    • Why did Makemake manage to evade detection for many years?

    <p>Unusual orbit out of sync with the solar system's ecliptic plane</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the presence of methane and nitrogen on Makemake suggest?

    <p>Transient atmosphere like Pluto</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why has Makemake lost its nitrogen over time?

    <p>Inability to retain its atmosphere due to small size</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes nitrogen to sublimate into a gas and be lost to space?

    <p>Easily excited by the sun's light</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason for the depletion of nitrogen on Makemake?

    <p>Inability to retain its atmosphere when it expands</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What led to Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet?

    <p>Pluto's failure to clear out its orbital path as required by the revised definition of a planet</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What distinguishes small solar system bodies (SSSBs) from dwarf planets?

    <p>SSSBs encompass anything else that isn't a comet, while dwarf planets are nearly spherical but don't dominate their surrounding space</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What distinguishes Ceres from other objects in the asteroid belt?

    <p>Ceres' large size and mass compared to other objects in the asteroid belt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main reason for the complicated terminology regarding minor planets, planetoids, and asteroids?

    <p>Discoveries in the outer solar system</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What amendment did the International Astronomical Union make to the definition of a planet in 2006?

    <p>Added a criterion that a planet must clear out its orbital path</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of Ceres being named after the Roman goddess of corn and harvests?

    <p>It reflects the agricultural importance of the asteroid belt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated diameter of Eris, the second largest dwarf planet in the solar system?

    <p>2,320 kilometers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated diameter of Haumea, a dwarf planet with an elongated egg shape?

    <p>1,600 kilometers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the spacecraft that made flybys of Ceres in 2015, sending back detailed images and giving clues to its past?

    <p>Dawn spacecraft</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the composition of the highly reflective mounds on the surface of Ceres?

    <p>Deposits of magnesium salt residue</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the region on Pluto's surface that is a large double-lobed plain of smooth volatile ice sheets?

    <p>Sputnik Planitia</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the leading theory about the formation of the Pluto-Charon system?

    <p>Formed by a collision of Kuiper Belt objects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason for the debate over the definition of a planet?

    <p>The discovery of new dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of Tombaugh Regio on Pluto?

    <p>It is a smooth plane of volatile ice sheets with evidence of convection currents below the surface</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary composition of the Kuiper Belt?

    <p>Icy objects and debris</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main component of Ceres' composition?

    <p>Rock and water ice</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason for the formation of frozen nitrogen ice sheets on Pluto?

    <p>Surface temperatures as low as -240 degrees Celsius</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What distinguishes Haumea from other dwarf planets?

    <p>Its elongated egg shape</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the IAU in 2006, but Eris was not.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The Kuiper Belt is a sparsely populated disk of icy objects formed early in the solar system's life.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ceres is believed to be an embryonic planet that did not grow larger due to Jupiter's influence.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Pluto has a thick atmosphere and six moons, with Charon forming a barycenter with Pluto.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake is a relatively structured and shapely body with a bright patch and a prominent ring system.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Eris, the second largest dwarf planet, is rocky and icy, almost the same size as Pluto, and has a small moon named Dysnomia.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Pluto lost its planetary status due to not meeting the revised definition and was reclassified as a dwarf planet

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The International Astronomical Union amended the definition of a planet in 2006, adding a criterion that a planet must clear out its orbital path

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ceres, the first discovered dwarf planet, is located within the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ceres was initially mistaken for a comet and then for a planet before being reclassified as a dwarf planet

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ceres is about 1000 kilometers in diameter and accounts for about a third of the asteroid belt's total mass

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Dwarf planets are nearly spherical and dominate their surrounding space

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Haumea is larger in diameter than Makemake.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake's bright surface is primarily covered in frozen methane.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake is located within the Kuiper Belt.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake's orbit lies in sync with the solar system's ecliptic plane.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake has a thick atmosphere similar to that of Pluto.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The primary reason for nitrogen depletion on Makemake is its inability to retain its atmosphere due to its small size.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake's nitrogen ice sheets are primarily formed due to the excitement by the sun's light causing nitrogen to sublimate into a gas.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The presence of methane and nitrogen on Makemake suggests the potential existence of a transient atmosphere similar to Pluto.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Is Makemake smaller than Haumea?

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake is the brightest trans-neptunian object after Pluto.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake's orbit lies in sync with the solar system's ecliptic plane.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake is located near the outer edge of the Kuiper Belt, over 50 astronomical units away from the sun.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The spectral data analysis suggests that Makemake's surface is covered in frozen methane and small quantities of nitrogen ice.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Makemake can retain its atmosphere when it expands due to its small size.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Methane thaws at much higher temperatures than nitrogen.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The presence of methane and nitrogen on Makemake suggests that it may have a transient atmosphere like Pluto.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    The Solar System's Dwarf Planets

    • Our solar system consists of eight conventional planets, including four rocky terrestrial planets and four gas giants.
    • Beyond the eight planets lie dozens of small icy worlds known as minor planets, including Pluto, which was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
    • There are almost 800,000 known minor planets in the solar system, archived by the Minor Planet Center.
    • The terminology for minor planets, planetoids, and asteroids has become more complicated due to discoveries in the outer solar system, leading to the need for clarifications.
    • In 2006, the International Astronomical Union amended the definition of a planet, adding a criterion that a planet must clear out its orbital path.
    • Pluto lost its planetary status due to not meeting the revised definition and was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
    • The IAU then reclassified the term "minor planet" into two new sub-categories: dwarf planets and small solar system bodies (SSSBs).
    • Dwarf planets are nearly spherical but don't dominate their surrounding space, while SSSBs encompass anything else that isn't a comet.
    • The first dwarf planet ever discovered and visited is Ceres, located within the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
    • Ceres was initially mistaken for a comet and then for a planet before being reclassified as a dwarf planet due to its large size and mass compared to other objects in the asteroid belt.
    • Ceres was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi and named after the Roman goddess of corn and harvests.
    • Ceres is about 1000 kilometers in diameter and accounts for about a third of the asteroid belt's total mass.

    The Solar System's Dwarf Planets and Kuiper Belt

    • In 2015, NASA's Dawn spacecraft made flybys of the dwarf planet Ceres, sending back detailed images and clues about its composition.
    • Ceres is composed of rock and water ice, with a core and mantle thought to have a layer of ice, potentially holding more water than Earth in solid form.
    • It is believed that Ceres may have had an ocean of magnesium salt water on its surface billions of years ago.
    • The Kuiper Belt, located beyond all eight planets, is a vast, densely populated region consisting of icy objects and debris.
    • The Kuiper Belt is home to hundreds of millions of cometary nuclei, thousands of objects larger than 100 kilometers in diameter, and cold dwarf planets.
    • Pluto, a Kuiper Belt object and dwarf planet, was visited by NASA's New Horizons mission in 2015, revealing its detailed landscape and complex features.
    • Pluto's surface temperatures can fall as low as -240 degrees Celsius, leading to the formation of frozen nitrogen ice sheets.
    • Pluto's heart-shaped region, Tombaugh Regio, is a smooth plane of volatile ice sheets with evidence of convection currents below the surface.
    • The debate over the definition of a planet was prompted by the discovery of new dwarf planets, including Eris, Haumea, and Makemake, in the Kuiper Belt between 2003 and 2005.
    • Eris, the second largest dwarf planet in the solar system, was initially set to be classified as the 10th planet but was later reclassified as a dwarf planet, prompting the addition of a third criterion in the definition of a planet.
    • Haumea, a dwarf planet, has an elongated egg shape and is thought to be the largest constituent of a collection of trans-neptunian objects left over from a large collision of debris.
    • Makemake, another dwarf planet, was discovered in 2005 and is the third dwarf planet discovered by Mike Brown.

    The Solar System's Dwarf Planets

    • Our solar system consists of eight conventional planets, including four rocky terrestrial planets and four gas giants.
    • Beyond the eight planets lie dozens of small icy worlds known as minor planets, including Pluto, which was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
    • There are almost 800,000 known minor planets in the solar system, archived by the Minor Planet Center.
    • The terminology for minor planets, planetoids, and asteroids has become more complicated due to discoveries in the outer solar system, leading to the need for clarifications.
    • In 2006, the International Astronomical Union amended the definition of a planet, adding a criterion that a planet must clear out its orbital path.
    • Pluto lost its planetary status due to not meeting the revised definition and was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
    • The IAU then reclassified the term "minor planet" into two new sub-categories: dwarf planets and small solar system bodies (SSSBs).
    • Dwarf planets are nearly spherical but don't dominate their surrounding space, while SSSBs encompass anything else that isn't a comet.
    • The first dwarf planet ever discovered and visited is Ceres, located within the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
    • Ceres was initially mistaken for a comet and then for a planet before being reclassified as a dwarf planet due to its large size and mass compared to other objects in the asteroid belt.
    • Ceres was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi and named after the Roman goddess of corn and harvests.
    • Ceres is about 1000 kilometers in diameter and accounts for about a third of the asteroid belt's total mass.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge of the solar system's dwarf planets with this quiz. Explore the reclassification of Pluto, the criteria for dwarf planet status, and the discovery of Ceres, the first dwarf planet ever visited.

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