Our Solar System
What type of object is the Sun?
A star
In which direction does gravity pull objects on Earth?
Toward the centre of Earth
Why does the Sun appear brighter than other stars?
Because it is much closer to Earth
When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, what season is it in the southern hemisphere?
Winter
If it is daytime in the UK, what is it likely to be on the opposite side of Earth?
Nighttime
What is the key difference between a star and a planet?
A star produces its own light; a planet does not
Which has stronger gravity: a small asteroid or a large planet? Why?
A large planet, because it has more mass
What is a galaxy?
A group of billions of stars
What is the angle of Earth’s tilt?
About 23.5 degrees
Why do we not feel Earth spinning even though it moves very fast?
Because we are moving with it at the same speed
Why do planets stay in orbit around the Sun instead of flying off into space?
Because of the Sun’s gravity
Why does the Moon not fall into Earth even though gravity pulls it?
Because it is moving sideways fast enough to stay in orbit
What is a light-year used to measure?
Distance in space
Why are days longer in summer than in winter?
Because that hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun
If Earth stopped spinning, what would happen to day and night?
One side would stay in constant daylight, the other in constant darkness
Why do diagrams of the solar system often give a misleading idea of distances?
Because real distances are far larger than shown and not to scale
What happens to the strength of gravity as distance from a planet increases?
It gets weaker
Why do stars appear as small points of light in the night sky?
Because they are extremely far away
Why don’t countries near the equator have strong seasons?
Because they receive fairly direct sunlight all year
Explain why a day is 24 hours using Earth’s motion.
Because it takes 24 hours for Earth to complete one full rotation
Why is the nearest star (after the Sun) much harder to observe than Neptune, even though both are in space?
Because it is vastly further away, even though it may be larger and brighter
Explain how gravity causes both the Moon’s orbit around Earth and Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Gravity pulls objects inward while their forward motion keeps them moving in a curved path (orbit)
If the Sun were moved as far away as other stars, how would it appear from Earth?
Like a small, dim point of light (like other stars)
A student says: “It is summer because Earth is closer to the Sun.” Why is this incorrect?
Because Earth’s distance from the Sun barely changes; seasons are caused by Earth’s tilt
Why does the Moon take about a month to go through all its phases, even though it is always half lit by the Sun?
Because as it orbits Earth, we see different portions of the lit side