Solar System
Name the planets in order.
The planets in order are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Some people also include Plute, but this no longer considered a planet. Rather it is referred to as a 'dwarf planet'.
HINT: To help remember the planets in order you can try to memorize this "My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Nothing" and use the first letter each word to help remember the first letter of each planet in order.
How long does it take for the moon to orbit the Earth?
27.3 Days
The Earth is not straight up and down. It is tilted on an angle and rotates around an axis. What is the measure of this angle.
23.5 degrees
What unusual object did Elon Musk send into space?
Elon Musk has a space program called Space-X which launches rockets and satellites into space. He also owns another company called Tesla. In 2018 Musk used Space-X to launch a Tesla Roadster with a mannequin called "Starman" into space.
Gravity is the attractive force which attempts to pull masses together.
What is Stonehenge and Wurdi Youang?
Stonehenge and Wurdi Youang are man-made stone formations used to measure time. Stonehenge is in England and Wurdi Youang is in Australia.
These formations were used to track the sun moved through the sky using the shadows created by the stones. Using this method people were able to track the seasons, solstice and equinox
Where is the moon positioned when it is considered a "New Moon"?
During a "New Moon" the moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun.
As the Earth revolves around the sun sometimes one hemisphere of the planet is nearer the sun and the other hemisphere is further away. Other times neither is further away. When neither is further away, what season(s) would be experienced on Earth.
Spring or Autumn
There is a planet made of diamonds. True or False?
Does gravity get weaker or stronger the further you move away from an object?
The gravitational force felt from an object is less (get weaker) the further you move away from it. For example. Gravity felt on the top of Mt Everest is less than the gravity felt at sea level. Technically you are lighter on Mt Everest than at the beach.
What does the Heliocentric model of the solar system development suggest?
The Heliocentric model (which is the currently accepted model) of the solar system development means that the Sun is considered the center point of the solar system and all the other objects revolve around it.
What cause the moon to "shine"?
The moon does not create it's own light, only stars do that. The light coming from the moon is actually the sun's light reflecting back off the moon.
What does the term 'Year' mean and how long does it take.
The term 'year' refers to the length of time it takes a planet to revolve around the sun. On Earth this takes 365 and 1/4 days.
On Jupiter a day is longer than a year. True or False?
False. However on Venus this is true. On Venus one rotation takes 243 Earth days while a year only take 225 Earth days.
What is the name of the Force between an object and the Earth.
The name of the between an object and the Earth is called Weight.
What does the Geocentric model of the solar system development?
In the Geocentric model of solar system development, it is thought that the Earth is the center point of the solar system, and all the other objects rotate around it. This model was once widely accepted but has since been proven incorrect.
How many phases of the moon are there and what are they (as seen from Australia)?
There are 8 phases of the moon.
New Moon, Waxing Cresent, 1st quarter, waxing gibbous, Full Moon, Waning gibbous, 3rd quarter, waning Cresent.
What does the term 'day' and how long does this take.
The term 'day' means the amount of time it takes for a plane to make one complete rotation. On Earth this is measured as 24 hours.
Which two planets to not have a moon?
Mercury and Venus have no moons. The other planets have about 176 moons between them all.
What is an orbit?
An Orbit is a path on which an object will travel around another object. A typical example of this would be the orbit a moon has around a planet or that a planet has around the sun.
Orbits are usually elliptical in shape.
Orbits are caused when an object traps another object in its gravitational force.
Which planets are 'terrestrial planets" and which are "gas giants"?
The terrestrial and gas planets can easily be determined by the location of the asteroid belt. This is located between Mars and Jupiter. As such the terrestrial planets are: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The gas planets are: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
How old is the solar system
The solar system is just over 4.5 B I L L I O N years old!!!!