Solar System Formation
Mass and Gravity
Space Objects
Forces and Motion in Space
Miscellaneous
100
What force causes the cloud of gas and dust to begin clumping together as the solar system forms?
What is gravity?
100
Why don’t we see books and pencils in the classroom being pulled toward us by gravity?
The gravitational force between small objects like pencils and people is too weak to be noticeable.
100
This small rocky body orbits the Sun, often found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
What is an asteroid?
100
This is the path an object takes as it moves around another object due to gravitational pull.
What is an orbit?
100
This is the force that opposes the motion of two surfaces sliding past each other.
What is friction?
200
What do the clumps of material eventually become in the actual solar system?
suns
planets
moons
asteroids
all of the above
All of the above.
200
If an object’s mass increases, how does this affect its gravitational pull?
The gravitational pull becomes stronger.
200
This term refers to a small fragment of a comet or asteroid that is traveling through space before it enters Earth's atmosphere.
What is a meteoroid?
200
This is any push or pull that can cause an object to change its motion.
What is force?
200
This type of force opposes the motion of objects moving through the atmosphere.
What is air resistance?
300
What are two similarities between the Milky Way galaxy and our solar system?
Possible Responses:
Both are spinning around the center.
Both were formed when dust and gas clumped together into space objects.
Gravity is the force holding all the material together.
Both have objects orbiting a massive center.
300
How does the Sun’s gravity keep the planets in orbit?
The Sun’s mass creates a strong gravitational force that pulls the planets toward it, while the planets’ motion keeps them orbiting around the sun.
300
This icy body has a highly elliptical orbit and develops a bright tail when it comes close to the Sun.
What is a comet?
300
This is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion, unless acted upon by a force.
What is inertia?
300
This is the empty space between objects in space where there are no air molecules, and no sound can travel.
What is a vacuum?
400
400
How does the Milky Way galaxy differ from our solar system?
Possible Responses:
Our solar system is much smaller than the Milky Way galaxy.
The center of the Milky Way galaxy is much more massive than the center of our solar system.
The force of gravity holding the Milky Way galaxy together is greater than the force of gravity holding our solar system together.
400
This is a large cloud of gas and dust in space, where stars and planets are formed.
What is a nebula?
400
This force pulls objects toward the center of mass of another object, like the Earth pulling everything toward its center.
What is gravity?
400
This is a massive system of stars, star clusters, nebulae, and other celestial objects, bound together by gravity.
What is a galaxy?