Suppose a Lone Asteroid Happens to Be Passing Relatively near Jupiter

question 60

Multiple Choice

Suppose a lone asteroid happens to be passing relatively near Jupiter (but not near any of its moons) ,following a hyperbolic orbit as it approaches Jupiter.Which of the following statements would be true?

• A)Jupiter's gravity would capture the asteroid,making it a new moon of Jupiter.
• B)The asteroid's orbit around Jupiter would not change,and it would go out on the same hyperbolic orbit that it came in on.
• C)Jupiter would probably expel the asteroid far out into the solar system.
• D)The asteroid would slowly spiral into Jupiter until it crashed into the atmosphere.
• E)Any of these scenarios is possible.

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Definitions:

Negative Control

A genetic control system in which a regulatory protein binds to DNA, turning off transcription of a gene. Compare with positive control.

Operon

In prokaryotes, a group of structural genes that are coordinately controlled and transcribed as a single message, plus their adjacent regulatory elements.

Protein Binding

The interaction between a protein and another molecule, which could be another protein, a small molecule, or DNA, critical for many biological processes.

cAMP Levels

Concentrations of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, a secondary messenger important in many biological processes including signal transduction and intracellular communication.