20111012

Astronomy current events question: WISE near-Earth asteroid survey

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2011
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)
Whitney Clavin, Dwayne Brown, "NASA Space Telescope Finds Fewer Asteroids Near Earth," September 29, 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/news/wise20110929.html
Results from the NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer space telescope indicate that mid-size near-Earth asteroids may be:
(A) burned-out comets.
(B) much warmer than expected.
(C) remnants of an incomplete second moon of Earth.
(D) blocked by the moon from impacting Earth.
(E) fewer than previously estimated.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 2 students
(C) : 4 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 26 students

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