Earth & The Solar System Quiz

Which of the planets listed is the gaseous planet which is closest to the Sun?

• Jupiter

• Mars

• Saturn

• Uranus

Which of the following objects are described as orbiting the Sun?

• 1 and 2 only

• 1, 2 and 3

• 1, 2, and 4

• 1, 2, 3 and 4

What creates the periodic nature of the seasons?

• The tilting of the Earth's axis

• The orbiting of the Earth around the Sun

• The combination of the orbiting of the Earth around the Sun and the Earth's tilting axis

• The change in temperature of the Sun

Which of the following statements about the strength of a gravitational field is correct?

• At the surface of a planet it depends on the diameter of the planet

• Around a planet it decreases as the distance from the planet increases

• The mass of the planet decreases as the distance from the planet increases

• The mass of the planet increases as the distance from the planet increases

Which line in the table best describes the angle of the Earth’s axis from the vertical, and the effect of this tilt?

• 23.4° Rising and setting of the Sun

• 23.4° Changing of the seasons

• 66.6° Rising and setting of the Sun

• 66.6° Changing of the seasons

Which line in the table correctly identifies the length of one year, one day and daylight hours during an equinox, all as experienced on Earth?

• 356 days / 88 days / 12 hours

• 364 days / 12 hours / 12 hours

• 365 days / 28 hours / 12 hours

• 365 days / 24 hours / 12 hours

What is the approximate orbital speed of the Earth?

• 10,000 km/h

• 100,000 km/h

• 2.5 × 10^6 km/h

• 50 × 10^6 km/h

Which of the following gives the correct reason for why comets travel faster within the Solar System than they do when they are outside it?

• A comet near to the Sun has more gravitational potential energy.

• Comets closer to the Sun transfer gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy due to conservation of energy.

• A comet which is outside the Solar System has less energy than one which is passing through it.

• Comets closer to the Sun transfer kinetic energy to gravitational potential energy due to conservation of energy.

The radius of Jupiter's orbit is 778 × 10^6 km. What is the time taken for light from the Sun to reach the surface of Jupiter?

• 2600 ms

• 2600 s

• 0.39 s

• 3.9 × 10^4 s

Select the combination which best defines and describes an accretion disc.

• 1, 3 and 5

• 2, 3 and 5

• 1, 3 and 4

• 2, 3 and 4