Show:
Terrestrial Planets
Gas Giants
Solar System
Phases of the Moon
Miscellaneous
100
What are the four terrestrial planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
100
What are the 4 gas giants?
Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
100
How did the solar system begin?
When a nearby star exploded, a large cloud of dust and gas began to center and spin. When it accumulated enough heat, it gradually became our Sun. Other debris then assembled to form the planets, comets, asteroids, and natural satellites of our solar system.
100
What is the difference between a waxing and a waning moon?
A waxing moon heading towards a full moon, whereas a waning moon is heading towards a new moon.
100
What is the difference between the rotation and revolution of the Earth?
The Earth rotates on an axis. This causes day and night. The Earth revolves around the Sun. This causes our seasons, as well as differences in the amount of sunlight we receive during the day.
200
Which terrestrial planet's day is longer than its year?
Venus
200
Which gas giant could float in water? (if there was a tank large enough to fit it!)
Saturn
200
Our Sun is an enormous ball of gas, primarily made up of __________ and _______________
Hydrogen and Helium
200
When the moon is in a C shape, is it waxing or waning?
Waning
200
What is the difference between a meteroid and a comet?
A comet is a large chunk of rock, ice and other materials that orbit around the Sun. Each time it nears the Sun, it melts forming a tail. After many orbits, it no longer has any ice to melt and breaks apart. An meteoroid is a large chunk of rock/debris that enters the atmosphere or can collide with the surface area of a planet.
300
Which planet has no atmosphere?
Mercury
300
Why could you not land a ship on the surface of a gas giant?
The surface is not a solid.
300
Planets move around the sun in an elliptical movement, which we refer to as __________.
Orbits
300
When is the right half of the moon visible, and the left half dark?
During the first quarter of the moon.
300
What two factors affect the force of gravity?
Mass and Distance
400
Why is Mars surface a red color?
Because it has large amounts of rust on its surface.
400
Which planet has the most natural satellites?
Jupiter
400
What separates the Gas Giants and the Terrestrial Planets?
The Asteroid Belt
400
What is a full moon?
When the face of the moon is round and completely illuminated all night.
400
Why is it easier for astronauts to jump high on the Moon?
The Moon's force of gravity is not as strong.
500
Why is Mercury covered in craters?
Because it lacks an atmosphere, there is nothing to break up the meteroids that go near it, resulting in it being pelted with large rocks.
500
Which two gas giants are noted for their rings?
Saturn and Uranus
500
How old is our Solar System?
Around 5 billion years old.
500
What causes the phases of the moon?
The position of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. The Sun will reflect light off of the moon in different ways, depending on how each is positioned.
500
Describe in detail why we have seasons.
The Earth revolves and rotates. It rotates every 24 hours on an axis of 23.5 degrees. It also revolves around the Sun every 365 days. Because of the angle of rotation, not all parts of the Earth receive equal amounts of sunlight. At certain seasons, one hemisphere can be tilted more towards the Sun than the other, resulting in more heat. Regions near the equator are less affected by the "wobbling" of the Earth, and have less variation in their seasons.