Stars
What do we call a group of stars in the sky that make a pattern or recognizable picture? (How many patterns are in the night sky?)
The stars that make patterns are called constellations. There are 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
How many planets are in our solar system?
There are 8 planets.
What object in space can be as big as a house?
An asteroid
Which planet is the smallest of the eight planets?
Mercury
What is the name of our galaxy?
Our galaxy is called the Milky Way.
What two gases make up most of the content of a star?
Hydrogen and helium
What are the four terrestrial planets in our solar system?
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
What object in space has a nucleus, is made of dust and ice particles and has a tail?
A comet
Jupiter
What is the largest moon in our solar system? Which planet does it belong to?
Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system. It is Jupiter's icy moon.
What type of star is the Sun?
The Sun is a yellow dwarf star (G2V).
Which planet is a deep blue colour with strong winds and storms and a Great Dark Spot?
Neptune
How many known moons are in our solar system?
178 moons
Which planet is considered Earth's twin and has thich sulfuric acid clouds that are poisonous to humans?
Venus
When was the solar system believed to be created?
4.5 billion years ago
What percentage of stars host planets?
Approximately 15% of stars host planets.
What is the hottest planet in our solar system?
Venus - it is 867 degrees fahrenheit
How far away is the Sun from the Earth?
The Sun is 93 million miles away.
Which planet has a pale blue colour and is tilted almost a right angle on its axis?
Uranus
Where is the solar system located?
The Milky Way Orion Cluster
What percent of the solar system's mass is the Sun?
The Sun makes up just over 99% of the solar system's mass.
Name 2 of the three criteria that makes an object in space a planet.
- it has enough mass for it's own gravity to shape itself into a sphere
- it must be massive enough to clear objects from its orbit
What are the three names for a rock that starts in space, enters the atmoshpere, and hits the Earth's surface?
It starts as a meteoroid, then becomes a meteor (shooting star) and ends as a meteorite if it makes contact with the Earth's surface.
What are the four jovian planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Approximately how old is our galaxy?
Our galaxy is approximately 13.6 billion years old.