Earth and Space 1
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are known as Jovian planets because they are similar to Jupiter. Which of these characteristics do these three planets have in common with Jupiter?
a. a large solid core
b. well-defined rings
c. a thick gaseous atmosphere
d. a density greater than Earth’s density
c. a thick gaseous atmosphere
Earth and Saturn are both planets orbiting the sun. Which of these other features do the two planets have in common?
a. They have a thin atmosphere.
b. They rotate about an axis.
c. Their orbits are the same length.
d. They have about the same mass.
They rotate about an axis.
Which of the following planets has a large solid core?
a. Jupiter
b. Mercury
c. Neptune
d. Saturn
b. Mercury
There are two types of spiral galaxies. What is a difference between a barred spiral galaxy and a normal spiral galaxy?
a. the number of spiral arms
b. the shape of the galaxy’s center
c. the number of stars in the galaxy
d. the colors of the stars in the galaxy
b. the shape of the galaxy’s center
The force that keeps the planets in their orbit
gravity
During a visit to an observatory, Silvano observed the moon, Venus, the sun, and the star Sirius. Which of these objects is outside of the solar system?
a. Sirius
b. Venus
c. Sun
d. Moon
a. Sirius
Day and night are caused by this movement of the Earth
rotation on its axis
The Earth takes one year to make one of these around the sun
revolution
Which of these characteristics distinguishes the outer planets from the inner planets?
a. The outer planets have many moons.
b. The outer planets orbit in a different direction.
c. The outer planets have higher densities.
d. The outer planets have smaller diameters.
a. The outer planets have many moons.
Most telescopes are located on Earth. Space-based telescopes often get data that is difficult to get using Earth-based telescopes. Which reasoning explains why a space-based telescope might be preferred to an Earth-based telescope?
a. Air pollution causes a major problem for space-based telescopes.
b. Earth-based telescopes are always smaller than space-based telescopes.
c. It is difficult to get clear, close-up images of distant bodies using space-based telescopes.
d. Earth-based telescopes have to look through Earth’s atmosphere, which reduces their power.
d. Earth-based telescopes have to look through Earth’s atmosphere, which reduces their power.
Although it isn't the closest planet to the sun, it is the hottest due to it's thick atmosphere
Venus
The sun is a medium-size star, but it appears much larger than other stars. Why does the sun appear to be so large?
a. The sun is hotter than other stars.
b. The sun produces more light than other stars.
c. The sun is much closer to Earth than other stars are.
d. The sun is affected by Earth’s gravity more than other stars are.
c. The sun is much closer to Earth than other stars are.
A ball of ice, dust, rock, and frozen gases, located mostly in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud
When compared to other stars, the sun is not very unusual. However, the sun is very important to humans. What makes the sun more important than the other stars?
a. Unlike other stars, the sun is very large.
b. When compared to other stars, the sun is the hottest.
c. Unlike other stars, the sun is the right color for living things.
d. When compared to other stars, the sun is very close to Earth.
d. When compared to other stars, the sun is very close to Earth.
The masses of objects in the solar system can be reported by comparing them to the mass of Earth. Which of these planets in the solar system most likely has a mass more than 300 times greater than the mass of Earth?
a. Jupiter
b. Mercury
c. Mars
d. Venus
a. Jupiter
Why does the sun appear so bright to us here on Earth, compared to other stars in the night sky?
It is the only star in our solar system (it is the star closest to us)
When a piece of rock/metal reaches Earth's surface it is now called...
a meteroite
There are many different colors of stars. Which characteristic determines the color of a star?
a. temperature
b. size and shape
c. actual brightness
d. distance from Earth
a. temperature
While looking at the sky one night, Bevan saw a streak of light. Bevan’s father told him that the light was produced by a small chunk of rock passing through Earth’s atmosphere. Which of these terms best describes what Bevan saw?
a. asteroid
b. comet
c. meteor
d. meteorite
c. meteor
Planets are classified as either inner planets or outer planets based on their distance from the sun. What is found between the inner planets and the outer planets?
a. asteroids
b. comets
c. moons
d. stars
a. asteroids
A meteoroid is a chunk of rock traveling through the solar system. How is a meteorite related to a meteoroid?
a. A meteorite is a meteoroid that enters Earth’s atmosphere.
b. A meteorite is a meteoroid that has broken into smaller pieces.
c. A meteorite is a meteoroid that is larger in size than an asteroid.
d. A meteorite is a meteoroid that reaches the surface of Earth.
A meteorite is a meteoroid that reaches the surface of Earth.
This planet has a Giant Red Spot, that is an ongoing storm, visible on it.
Jupiter
Which planet shows a feature known as the Great Dark Spot.
a. Jupiter
b. Neptune
c. Saturn
d. Uranus
b. Neptune
All visible stars in the night sky are many times larger than Earth. What claim explains why they look like tiny points of light?
a. They are moving very fast.
b. The atmosphere blocks most of their light.
c. The stars visible at night are located very far from Earth.
d. Most of the light from stars is absorbed by galaxies, so it does not reach Earth.
c. The stars visible at night are located very far from Earth.
Elliptical galaxies are brightest toward the center. Which reasoning best explains this observation?
a. The stars are evenly distributed through the galaxy.
b. The center is crowded with stars, and the number of stars decreases farther out.
c. Most of the stars are near the outside of the elliptical galaxy with dust clouds in the center.
d. The stars are spread throughout the galaxy in bands that look like the arms of spiral galaxies.
b. The center is crowded with stars, and the number of stars decreases farther out.