The solar System & the Universe

Telescopes are useful tools for observing objects in our solar system. When might you use a telescope?

• to see more detail about a small area of the sky

• to predict the position of a star

• to determine the thickness of a planet’s core

  
  

• to collect a sample from a space object

Planets are classified as either inner planets or outer planets based on their distance from the sun. What is found between the inner planets and the outer planets?

• asteroids

• comets

• moons

• stars

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

The masses of objects in the solar system can be reported by comparing them to the mass of Earth. Which of these planets in the solar system most likely has a mass more than 300 times greater than the mass of Earth?

• Jupiter

• Mercury

• Mars

• Venus

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

The figure below shows the eight planets in our solar system.

Which of the following planets has a large solid core?

• Jupiter

• Mercury

• Neptune

• Saturn

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

Li-Chen is creating a notebook with diagrams for each of the different kinds of galaxies.

What label should Li-Chen use for the galaxy shown above?

• elliptical galaxy

• irregular galaxy

• barred spiral galaxy

• normal spiral galaxy

Some galaxies have symmetrical shapes. Other galaxies are not symmetrical.

What term do astronomers use to describe a galaxy such as the one shown in the illustration?

• barred spiral galaxy

• elliptical galaxy

• irregular galaxy

• spiral galaxy

Elliptical galaxies are brightest toward the center. Which reasoning best explains this observation?

• The stars are evenly distributed through the galaxy.

• The center is crowded with stars, and the number of stars decreases farther out.

• Most of the stars are near the outside of the elliptical galaxy with dust clouds in the center.

• The stars are spread throughout the galaxy in bands that look like the arms of spiral galaxies.

Each of the images below shows two stars of the same color. Which claim is supported by the evidence in the picture?

• 
• 
• 
• 

All visible stars in the night sky are many times larger than Earth. What claim explains why they look like tiny points of light?

• They are moving very fast.

• The atmosphere blocks most of their light.

• The stars visible at night are located very far from Earth.

• Most of the light from stars is absorbed by galaxies, so it does not reach Earth.

When compared to other stars, the sun is not very unusual. However, the sun is very important to humans. What makes the sun more important than the other stars?

• Unlike other stars, the sun is very large.

• When compared to other stars, the sun is the hottest.

• Unlike other stars, the sun is the right color for living things.

• When compared to other stars, the sun is very close to Earth.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3