Galaxies & the Universe and Stars
What are the lights called that are produced when particles from the Sun interact with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere and Earth’s magnetic field at the poles?
Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis
About how many billion years ago did our solar system form?
4.6 billion years ago
Where is the Asteroid Belt found?
Between Mars and Jupiter
What is the difference between a dwarf planet and a planet?
A dwarf planet is much smaller than a planet, so doesn’t meet all the criteria to be a planet; it isn’t large enough to have the gravity to pull everything in its path into it.
Which planet has a giant red spot/storm?
Jupiter
Name 2 types of stars
Blue dwarf, Red dwarf, Red supergiant, Red giant, Yellow dwarf
What do we call the system of planets around a star?
Solar System
What space object is also called a dirty snowball?
A comet
What do we call rocky objects that revolve around planets?
Moon
Which 2 planets are the coldest?
Neptune and Uranus
Approximately how old is the universe?
14 billion years
What do we call the clouds of gas and dust left by a star exploding?
Nebula
Approximately what size are asteroids?
Between 1m and 1000km across.
Name the 3 dwarf planets we learned about
Ceres, Vesta, Pluto
Which planet is mostly covered by water?
Earth
What do we call the theory of how the universe began?
the Big Bang
What do we call a planet that is orbiting a star that is not the sun?
Exoplanet
Why aren’t asteroids found close to planets?
If an asteroid went close to a planet, it would be pulled in by its gravity. Planets, by definition have pulled all objects near them into themselves with their gravity. Their paths are now clear of asteroids.
Which planets are rocky and have hard surfaces and craters: Terrestrial or Gas Giants?
Terrestrial
Which planet rotates on its side?
Uranus
What type of galaxy do we live in? What is its name?
Why does it matter that there are other planets outside our solar system?
We may discover planets that are habitable or contain life.
When small pieces of asteroids break off, what do we call those small pieces?
Meteoroids
Which planets are also called Inner Planets, and why?
The four Terrestrial Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), because they are closest to the Sun.
Name the planets in order from closest to the Sun to furthest away.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune