Planets
Which of the following represents characteristics of the four planets farthest from the Sun?
F.) Smaller planets
G.) Gas giants
H.) Rocky (terrestrial) planets
J.) 3 or less moons
What is...G.) Gas giants
The terrestrial planets are —
F.) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
G.) Venus, Mars, Neptune, and Uranus
H.) Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, and Earth
J.) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
What is...J.) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
A small meteroid that burns upon entry of Earth’s atmosphere –
A.) meteorid
B.) meteor
C.) meteorite
What is....B.) meteor
The planets of the solar system revolve around the Sun in orbits because of the Sun's —
A.) gravity
B.) rotation
C.) heat energy
D.) magnetic field
What is...A.) gravity
What does Earth do every 24 hours?
A.) revolves around the moon
B.) rotate once on its axis
C.) revolves around the sun
What is....B.) rotate once on its axis
Which planet is closest to the asteroid belt?
A.) Mars
B.) Mercury
C.) Saturn
D.) Venus
What is...A.) Mars
The color of a planet provides clues to its composition. From space, much of Earth looks blue because most of its surface is covered with water. The surface of Mars is much different from that of Earth. Much of its surface is made up of iron oxide, or "rust." Which color would you expect Mars to be?
F.) Bluish
G.) Yellowish
H.) Reddish
J.) Greenish
What is....H.) Reddish
The region between the inner and outer planets where most asteroids orbit around the sun.
A.) asteriod belt
B.) meteoriod belt
C.) orbital path
What is....A.) asteriod belt
The asteroids orbit the Sun because the Sun —
A.) exerts a strong electromagnetic force on them.
B.) exerts a strong gravitational force on them.
C.) is not in orbit around a black hole.
D.) is not as large as the planet Jupiter.
What is...B.) exerts a strong gravitational force on them.
The asteroids can be pulled out of the asteroid belt by the —
F.) gravitational force of a nearby planet.
G.) thermal energy of nearby planets.
H.) electromagnetic force of the Sun.
J.) mechanical motion of the Sun.
What is...F.) gravitational force of a nearby planet.
Mars is very similar to the Earth. Which of the following statements describes a property of the Earth, but NOT a property of Mars?
A.) An abundance of liquid water is located on the planet.
B.) One or more moons orbit the planet.
C.) The planet is constantly in motion.
D.) The orbital path is predictable.
What is..A.) An abundance of liquid water is located on the planet.
Which of the following accurately describes the orbital path of most planets in our solar system?
A.) The orbital path is in a perfect circle.
B.) The orbital path is in an ellipse, but looks almost circular.
C.) The orbital path is in a large elliptical shape.
D.) The orbital path varies greatly from planet to planet.
What is...B.) The orbital path is in an ellipse, but looks almost circular.
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an asteroid or comet that traveled from outer space to reach Earth's surface. There, it turns a rusty, reddish-brown color over time. Based on this information, which of the following can be concluded about the physical composition of the asteroid or comet that this meteorite came from?
A.) It contains gold.
B.) It contains glass.
C.) It contains sand.
D.) It contains iron.
What is...D.) It contains iron.
The planet Jupiter has dozens of moons, which orbit Jupiter because it —
A.) exerts a greater gravitational pull than any of its moons.
B.) goes through more phases than any of its moons.
C.) tilts more on its axis than any of its moons.
D.) has a smaller orbit than any of its moons.
What is...A.) exerts a greater gravitational pull than any of its moons.
While gazing through a telescope, Elexi noticed a bright spot moving fast through the sky. On closer examination, she observed the spot was followed by a stream of hot dust. Elexi most likely observed —
A.) an asteroid
B.) a comet
C.) a meteor
D.) a moon
What is...B.) a comet
Which planet is the second-largest gas giant?
A.) Jupiter
B.) Neptune
C.) Saturn
D.) Uranus
What is...C.) Saturn
Scientists observed a rocky, rotating object orbiting in space. It was 250 km wide. The rocky object was located several times farther away from the Sun than the Earth.
The object is most likely —
A.) Venus
B.) the Moon
C.) Mars
D.) an asteroid
What is...D.) an asteroid
Which of the following best describes meteors?
F.) Solids with irregular shapes, some of which are larger than Pluto, that mostly orbit the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Venus
G.) Solids that range in size from dust to small rocks that are scattered throughout the solar system, often due to the breakup of comets, that burn in a brief bright display when they enter Earth’s atmosphere
H.) Solids made of rock and ice with very elliptical orbits that originate beyond the orbit of Neptune and release gas and dust in a bright display that can last weeks when they pass close to the Sun
J.) Solids that orbit many planets in our solar system, many of which are asteroids or comets that have been caught by the gravitational pull of the more massive planet they orbit
What is....G.) Solids that range in size from dust to small rocks that are scattered throughout the solar system, often due to the breakup of comets, that burn in a brief bright display when they enter Earth’s atmosphere
What is one characteristic that is common to all solar systems in the Milky Way galaxy, including Earth's solar system?
A.) A gravitational force of attraction holding them together
B.) A belt of asteroids away from the center of the galaxy
C.) A cluster of terrestrial planets around a star
D.) A large presence of the element carbon
What is....A.) A gravitational force of attraction holding them together
The planets in Earth's solar system follow —
F.) elliptical orbits largely governed by the force of gravity
G.) spiral orbits largely governed by the force of friction
H.) circular orbits controlled by electromagnetic force
J.) irregular orbits controlled by nuclear force
What is...F.) elliptical orbits largely governed by the force of gravity
Earth can support a variety of life. This is because —
A.) Earth has only one moon that reduces the pull of gravity on living organisms.
B.) Earth maintains moderate conditions due to its position in relation to the Sun.
C.) Earth gets the most radiant energy due to being the closest planet to the Sun.
D.) Earth contains the largest amount of gas in its atmosphere compared to other planets.
What is....B.) Earth maintains moderate conditions due to its position in relation to the Sun.
Which pair of words, in order, correctly complete the statement?
The orbits of the planets around the Sun are ______, with the Sun at _____.
F.) Circular; the center
G.) Ellipses; one foci
H.) Ovoid; one end
J.) Linear; the origin
What is....G.) Ellipses; one foci
On a day in the distant future, a team of astronauts guides their spaceship on a journey through the solar system. Suddenly, a rocky object a few meters long appears in front of them. They move around the object, only to be confronted with similar objects. Some of these are smaller, and some are slightly larger.
Which of the following have the astronauts most likely encountered?
A.) Meteoroids
B.) Moons
C.) Asteroids
D.) Comets
What is....C.) Asteroids
The planets do not orbit in perfect circles. The amount that a planet's orbit is off from a perfect circle is called its eccentricity. What most likely causes planetary eccentricity?
A.) Impacts from asteroids and comets
B.) Interference from planetary atmospheres
C.) Gravity from other objects in the solar system
D.) Magnetic fields from other objects in the solar system
What is...C.) Gravity from other objects in the solar system
A star that is dense and made up of hot gases –
A.) a comet
B.) the sun
C.) a meteor
D.) Meteorite
What is....B.) the sun