Space Unit

The bodies of space can be classified based on their relative sizes. Which of the following correctly lists the bodies of space in order from largest to smallest?

• universe, galaxy, star, planet
• universe, galaxy, planet, star
• galaxy, universe, star, planet
• galaxy, universe, planet, star

What would be the most appropriate unit to describe how big our solar system is?

• Kilometer
• Mile
• Astronomical Unit (A.U.)
• Light Year (l.y.)

A light-year (ly) is the distance light travels in one year. If a star is 3 ly away from Earth, how long does it take that star’s light to travel far enough to reach Earth?

• 3 min
• 3 hour
• 3 years
• 3 light years

The following table displays, for four objects in space, their average distance from Earth. Which object is closest to Earth?

• Barnard’s Star
• Planet Neptune
• Andromeda galaxy
• Triangulum galaxy

During a class project, Sofia made a scale drawing—similar to the illustration below—showing the sizes of various stars. Then Sofia made a chart for four of the stars, using the names of the stars for column headings. She listed the stars in order from smallest to largest. Which of the following shows how the stars’ names appeared on Sofia’s chart?

• Hamal, Polaris, Shedir, Arneb
• Arneb, Hamal, Polaris, Shedir
• Hamal, Delta Bootis, Alshain, Sun
• Xi Ursae Majoris, Polaris, Hamal, Delta Bootis

Two stars have the same apparent magnitude from Earth’s surface. Star A is 33 ly away. Star B is 346 ly away. Which of the following statements is true?

• Star B is larger than star A.
• Star B is more luminous than star A.
• The stars have the same absolute magnitude.
• Star A has a smaller apparent magnitude.

Felix examined several photos of stars. To compare their temperatures, he looked at the colors of the stars. He organized the photos in order from coolest to hottest. Which of these answers shows the correct order?

• red, yellow, white, blue
• white, blue, yellow, red
• yellow, white, blue, red
• blue, yellow, white, red

The figure below lists the characteristics of various stars. Based on the information in the table, list the stars from dimmest to brightest when viewed from Earth’s surface.

• D, B, C, A
• A, B, C, D
• D, A, B, C
• A, C, B, D

The figure below shows the rotation of the sun. How is the rotation of the sun different from the rotation of the Earth?

• The parts of the sun rotate at different speeds and the parts of Earth rotate at the same speed.
• The sun’s equator rotates faster than its poles and Earth’s equator rotates slower than its poles.
• The sun’s poles rotate faster than its equator and Earth’s poles rotate slower than its equator.
• The parts of the sun rotate in different directions and the parts of Earth all rotate in the same direction.

Which layer of the Sun is represented by letter X?

• chromosphere
• convection zone
• core
• corona