Key Concepts
List the inner planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
Which solar system object is the largest?
a. Jupiter
b. Neptune
c. the Sun
d. Saturn
C. The sun
Which inner planet is the hottest?
Venus
What is a bright streak of light in Earth's atmosphere called?
A meteor
List the outer planets
Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Jupiter
Where is the astroid belt located?
Between Mars and Jupiter
Which describes the greenhouse effect?
a. effect of gravity on temperature
b. energy emitted by the Sun
c. energy trapped by atmosphere
d. reflection of light from a planet
C. energy trapped by atmosphere
Which best describes an asteroid?
a. icy
b. rocky
c. round
d. wet
b. rocky
Which describes a planet's speed as it orbits the Sun?
a. it constantly decreases
b. it constantly increases
c. it does not change
d. it increases then decreases
D. it increases and then decreases
What is a Galilean moon?
The four largest moon of Jupiter-10, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are known as the Galilean moons. They are made of rock and ice.
Which two gases make up most of the outer planets?
a. ammonia and helium
b. ammonia and hydrogen
c. hydrogen and helium
d. methane and hydrogen
C. Hydrogen and helium
How are the terrestrial planets similar?
They have similar rocky surfaces
Relate changes in speed during a planet's orbit to the shape of the orbit and the gravitational pull of the sun
A planet moves faster in its elliptical orbit when it is closer to the sun and slower when it is farther away
Describe the astroid belt
Millions of small rocky objects
Which is true of dwarf planets?
a. more massive than nearby objects
b. never have moons
c. orbit near the sun
d. spherically shaped
D. spherically shaped
What kinds of objects are in the solar system?
Objects include the Sun, planets, moons, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
In what ways are planets and dwarf planets similar?
Both orbit a star and are spherical
A classmate states that life will someday be found on Mars. Defend the statement and offer a reason why life might exist on Mars.
Liquid water flows periodically on the surface of Mars. Water is needed for life.
Infer whether a planet with active volcanoes would have more or fewer craters than a planet without active volcanoes. Explain
The lava flow from active volcanoes covers craters. So the surface of a planet with active volcanoes would have fewer craters.
Explain why Jupiters moon Ganymede is not considered a dwarf planet, even though it is bigger than Mercury.
A dwarf planet must orbit a star. Since Ganymede orbits Jupiter, it is a moon.