Question 1

True or false: Pallas is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

False. Ceres is the largest, with Pallas coming in third by mass after Ceres and Vesta.

Question 2

True or false: Pallas was visited by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in a flyby mission.

Accepted Answer

False. Dawn studied Vesta and Ceres but never visited Pallas; no spacecraft has yet flown by it.

Question 3

True or false: Pallas is the second asteroid ever discovered, after Ceres.

Accepted Answer

True. Pallas was found in 1802 by Heinrich Olbers, just a year after Ceres, making it the second known asteroid.

Question 4

True or false: Pallas was named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena.

Accepted Answer

False. It was named after Pallas Athena, but 'Pallas' alone refers to a different mythological figure—Pallas, daughter of Triton.

Question 5

True or false: Pallas has a highly tilted orbit compared to most main-belt asteroids.

Accepted Answer

True. Pallas orbits at a steep 34.8-degree tilt relative to the ecliptic, unusual for a large main-belt object.

Question 6

True or false: Pallas experiences seasons due to its axial tilt being nearly 90 degrees.

Accepted Answer

True. Pallas has an extreme axial tilt of about 84 degrees, causing dramatic seasonal changes as it orbits.

Question 7

True or false: Pallas is large enough to be considered a dwarf planet by the IAU.

Accepted Answer

False. Despite its size, Pallas has not been classified as a dwarf planet because its shape is not fully rounded due to its irregular orbit.

Question 8

True or false: Pallas may have a surface covered in water ice beneath a dusty crust.

Accepted Answer

True. Observations suggest Pallas has a hydrated surface, possibly with buried ice, making it unique among large asteroids.

Pallas Trivia Questions