Planets
Stars
Solar System models
Formation
Miscellaneous
100
What is the closest planet to the sun?
Mercury
100
What are the primary elements in a star?
Hydrogen and Helium
100
What model of the solar system places Earth at the center?
Geocentric Model
100
What are the small bodies formed by the accumulation of matter that can eventually become planets?
Planetesimal
100
True or False: All planets rotate on their axes in the same direction as the other planets.
False. (neptune rotates on its side, etc.)
200
Which planet is known for its Great Red Spot?
Jupiter
200
What is a neutron star?
The core of a supernova explosion from a Big Red supergiant star. (not a star big enough to become a black hole)
200
Copernicus proposed which model of the solar system?
Heliocentric
200
What is the unit of distance measurement for our solar system?
Astronomical Unit
200
What are the two gases that most of the gas giants are composed of?
Hydrogen and helium
300
Which planet has the hottest surface temperature due to the greenhouse effect from its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere?
Venus (870F or 465C)
300
What class of star is our sun?
G
O B A F G K M
Oh Boy An F’s Gonna Kill Me
300
What motion appears to cause some planets to move backwards in the sky?
Retrograde motion
300
How did the moon form according to the Giant Impact Theory?
A Mars-sized object collided with Earth, and the debris formed the Moon.
300
How far is Earth from the sun?
1 AU, 93 million miles, 150 million km
400
Which Planet in the solar system is farthest from the sun?
Neptune
400
What happens when a small star nears the end of its life?
It becomes a white dwarf.
400
What is at the center of the heliocentric model of the solar system?
The Sun
400
What is the process called when material, gas and dust, gather to form planets?
Accretion
400
Which planet has rings, excluding saturn?
Uranus or Neptune. (They both have rings)
500
What is retrograde motion, and why does it occur?
It is the appearance of backward motion of a planet due to Earth moving faster or slower than the observed planet.
500
What is a protostar and where does if form?
It is the earliest stage of a star and forms from the collection of gas and dust in a nebula.
500
Which scientist confirmed the heliocentric model of the solar system with telescopic observations?
Galileo Galilei
500
How does a black hole form?
A massive star reaches the end of its life and undergoes a supernova explosion. The intense gravity of the leftover core is compressed, forming the black hole.
500
Which moon in the solar system has ice and water on its surface?
Europa (one of Jupiter's moons)