Gravity
What is gravity?
A force that pulls objects toward each other.
What is a galaxy?
A huge group of stars, solar systems, dust, and gas.
What is the shape of the Milky Way Galaxy?
A flat disk-shape with a bulge of stars at the center and arms that spiral out.
What is a common pattern in solar systems?
Planets orbit around the sun.
What is an exoplanet?
A planet in a different solar system than ours.
In which direction does gravity pull?
Inward.
What is a solar system?
A star with planets orbiting around it.
Why is the Milky Way Galaxy shaped a certain way?
Gravitational forces from the center cause stars and solar systems to orbit around the center.
What do moons orbit around?
Planets.
How do exoplanets differ from planets in our solar system?
They orbit their own stars.
Why do objects in our solar system orbit the sun?
Because the sun has the greatest mass and gravitational pull.
Place the following in order from largest to smallest: Universe, Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System, Earth.
Universe, Milky Way Galaxy, Solar System, Earth.
What do all objects in our solar system orbit around?
The sun.
Why does Jupiter have more moons than Earth?
Jupiter has a larger mass and stronger gravitational pull.
What is true for all exoplanets?
They orbit their own stars.
Explain why we feel the pull of Earth's gravity more than the sun's gravity.
We are much closer to the Earth.
What is a planet?
A large object that orbits around a star.
Identify a pattern associated with galaxies.
Stars and solar systems orbit around the center of the Milky Way.
Describe the relationship between the mass of a planet and the number of moons it has.
Larger mass means more moons due to stronger gravitational pull.
Why are exoplanets important to study?
They help us understand other solar systems.
Why do astronauts on the moon experience a weaker gravitational pull than on Earth?
The moon has a smaller mass than Earth.
What is a star?
A large sphere of glowing gases.
Explain the cause-and-effect relationship between gravity and the orbital motion of objects in space.
Gravity causes objects to orbit around larger masses.
What is the pattern of objects in our solar system?
Objects orbit the sun because it has the greatest mass.
How do scientists discover exoplanets?
By observing their effects on their stars.