Unit 8 Review 6.11A, 6.11B

"Made mostly of ice", fits best under which heading in the above Venn diagram?

• asteroid

• meteor

• comet

• section x

Which of the following accurately describes the orbital path of most planets in our solar system?

• The orbital path is in a perfect circle.

• The orbital path is in an ellipse, but looks almost circular.

• The orbital path is in a large elliptical shape.

• The orbital path varies greatly from planet to planet.

Which of the following represents characteristics of the four planets closest to the Sun?

• larger planets

• gas planets

• rocky (terrestrial) planets

• 4 or more moons

Mars is very similar to Earth. Which of the following statements describes a property of Earth, but NOT a property of Mars?

• an abundance of liquid water is located on the planet

• one or moons orbit the planet

• the planet is constantly in motion

• the orbital path is predictable

All of the planets in our solar system have about the same --

• mass

• diameter

• shape

• composition

Scientists observed a rocky, rotating object orbiting in space. It was 250 km wide. The rocky object was located several times farther away from the Sun than the Earth. The object is most likely —

• Venus

• the Moon

• Mars

• an asteroid

Which of the following best describes meteors?

• Solids with irregular shapes, some of which are larger than Pluto, that mostly orbit the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Venus

• Solids that range in size from dust to small rocks that are scattered throughout the solar system, often due to the breakup of comets, that burn in a brief bright display when they enter Earth’s atmosphere

• Solids made of rock and ice with very elliptical orbits that originate beyond the orbit of Neptune and release gas and dust in a bright display that can last weeks when they pass close to the Sun

• Solids that orbit many planets in our solar system, many of which are asteroids or comets that have been caught by the gravitational pull of the more massive planet they orbit

Galileo Galilei made an essential discovery in the history of science in 1610 using a simple handheld telescope he made with two lenses held by a tube. The telescope improved on previous technology and allowed Galileo to see more objects in the night sky. Galileo observed a known planet each night for several months. He noticed four points of light that seemed to be orbiting the planet. These four points of light were the first objects discovered to be orbiting another planet other than Earth. The discovery of these objects, now known as the Galilean moons, led to the understanding that everything does not revolve around the Earth, including the Sun.

What planet was Galileo observing when he discovered the Galilean moons?

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

Which planet takes 165 years to complete a single orbit, the longest revolution of any planet around the Sun?

• Mercury

• Earth

• Uranus

• Neptune

What movements are involved in the relationship between the Earth and Sun?

• The Sun rotates around the Earth as it revolves to cause day and night.

• The Sun revolves around the Earth as it rotates to cause day and night.

• The Earth rotates around the Sun as it revolves to cause day and night.

• The Earth revolves around the Sun as it rotates to cause day and night.