Mighty Mercury
True or False:
Mercury has the fastest orbit around the Sun.
True
Explanation: Mercury completes one orbit in just 88 Earth days, the shortest year of any planet.
MCQ:
What is the name of the biggest volcano on Mars?
A. Olympus Mons
B. Mount Everest
C. Vesuvius
D. Mount Kilimanjaro
A. Olympus Mons
MCQ
What makes Earth different from all other known planets?
A. It has mountains
B. It has an atmosphere
C. It has liquid water on its surface
D. It has moons
C. It has liquid water on its surface
Explanation: Earth is the only planet we know of that has stable liquid water on its surface, which is essential for life.
True or False:
Venus is the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.
True
True or False:
Jupiter spins faster than any other planet in the solar system.
True:
It completes one rotation in just under 10 hours!
MCQ:
How long does a year on Mercury last?
A. 88 Earth days
B. 365 Earth days
C. 24 hours
D. 100 Earth days
E. All are wrong because they are off by a couple of days
A. 88 Earth days
MCQ
What are the white caps at Mars’s north and south poles made of?
A. Only water ice
B. Only frozen carbon dioxide
C. A mix of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide
D. Frozen oxygen
C. A mix of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide
Explanation: Mars’s polar caps are made of both water ice and dry ice (frozen CO₂).
MCQ
What is Earth’s atmosphere mostly made of?
A. Oxygen
B. Carbon dioxide
C. Nitrogen
D. Hydrogen
C. Nitrogen
MCQ
Which is true about a day on Venus?
A. It is shorter than its year
B. It is the same as Earth’s day
C. It is longer than its year
D. Venus does not rotate
C. It is longer than its year
Explanation: Venus takes longer to rotate once than it does to orbit the Sun
True or False:
Jupiter gives off more heat than it receives from the Sun.
True
Explanation: It has leftover heat from its formation.
MCQ
Which is the largest feature on Mercury’s surface?
A. Caloris Basin
B. Olympus Mons
C. Valles Marineris
D. Sputnik Planitia
A. Caloris Basin
Explanation: Caloris Basin is a huge impact crater over 1,500 km across, formed by a massive asteroid impact.
MCQ
What color does the sky appear during sunset on Mars?
A. Blue
B. Red
C. Pink
D. Blue-gray
E. None of the above
D. Blue-gray
MCQ
Which layer of Earth is the thickest?
A. Crust
B. Mantle
C. Outer core
D. Inner core
B. Mantle
Explanation: The mantle makes up most of Earth’s volume and lies between the crust and the core.
True or False
From the surface of Venus, the Sun would appear to rise in the west and set in the east.
.
True
Explanation: Because Venus rotates backward, the Sun would move across the sky in the opposite direction compared to Earth.
MCQ
Which planet does Jupiter help protect by pulling in asteroids and comets?
A. Mars
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mercury
E. 0
C. Earth
Explanation: Jupiter’s huge gravity acts like a shield, attracting or deflecting space debris.
MCQ
What is Mercury’s surface temperature range?
A. -50°C to 50°C
B. -173°C to 427°C
C. 0°C to 100°C
D. -100°C to 200°C
B. -173°C to 427°C
Explanation: Mercury has extreme temperatures because it’s close to the Sun and has almost no atmosphere to trap heat.
MCQ:
Which is the largest canyon on Mars?
A. The Grand Canyon
B. Valles Marineris
C. The Great Rift
D. Canyonlands
B. Valles Marineris
MCQ
Why do astronauts appear weightless while orbiting Earth?
A. There is no gravity in space
B. Earth stops pulling them
C. They are falling around Earth
D. Their suits cancel gravity
C. They are falling around Earth
Explanation: Astronauts are in continuous free-fall, creating the feeling of weightlessness.
MCQ
What is the main reason Venus is hotter than Mercury, even though it’s farther from the Sun?
A. It has more volcanoes
B. Its clouds reflect sunlight
C. It has thick clouds of carbon dioxide
D. It’s closer to the Moon
C. It has thick clouds of carbon dioxide
MCQ:
What makes Jupiter’s “stripes” or bands?
A. Ice rings
B. Different cloud layers moving in opposite directions
C. Its many moons
D. Cracks in its surface
E. None of the above
B. Different cloud layers moving in opposite directions
MCQ
Which spacecraft provided detailed maps of Mercury?
A. MESSENGER
B. Cassini
C. Voyager 2
D. New Horizons
A. MESSENGER
Explanation: MESSENGER orbited Mercury from 2011 to 2015, mapping its surface and studying its magnetic field.
MCQ:
Which of the following is true about Mars?
A. It has liquid water on its surface.
B. It has no atmosphere.
C. It has a very thin atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide.
D. It is the hottest planet in the solar system
C. It has a very thin atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide.
MCQ
Which layer of Earth causes the magnetic field?
A. Crust
B. Mantle
C. Outer core
D. Inner core
C. Outer core
Explanation: Movement of liquid iron in the outer core generates Earth’s magnetic field.
MCQ
Which spacecraft successfully landed on Venus and sent images back?
A. Viking
B. Venera
C. Voyager
D. New Horizons
B. Venera
Explanation: The Soviet Venera missions landed on Venus and transmitted images before being destroyed by heat and pressure.
MCQ:
How long does it take Jupiter to orbit the Sun?
A. 1 Earth year
B. 5 Earth years
C. 12 Earth years
D. 20 Earth years
E. Thats a trick. (None of the above)
C. 12 Earth years