Comparing Planets of Our Solar System

Which Planet is the largest?

• Earth

• Mars

• Jupiter

• Saturn

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

One similarity between asteroids, comets and meteoroids is that they all:

• are made of rock
• come from the Asteroid Belt
• come from the Oort Cloud
• orbit the sun

Huge chunks of rock and metal (some measuring miles wide) and are believed to be left-over pieces of planets and moons are called:

• Comets
• Meteors
• Asteroids
• Meteroids

Planets that have a rocky or solid surface are called:

• Terrestrial Planets
• Gas Giants

Which choice shows the correct order of the planets?

• Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
• Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto
• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
• Saturn, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune Mercury, Uranus

Which of the earlier models of the Solar System, Geocentric or Heliocentric, is most similar to the Solar System as we know it to be today and why?

• A. Geocentric, because only the moon is shown orbiting the Earth.

• B. Geocentric, which includes all eight planets.

• C. Heliocentric, which includes all nine planets.

• D. Heliocentric, because the planets are orbiting the Sun.

Two of the models created to show the solar system were Ptolemy's geocentric and Copernicus's heliocentric. Which characteristic is the same for both models?

• A. The Earth revolves around the Sun.

• B. Uranus and Neptune are not included.

• C. The Sun is located at the center.

• D. The Earth orbits the moon.

Throughout history, several different models of the solar system have been proposed. One such model is shown below. According to a heliocentric model of the solar system, what should be located at position Q where indicated on the diagram?

• A. The Sun

• B. The Earth

• C. Jupiter

• D. The Moon

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Comets are astronomical bodies, made up of ice and dust, which orbit the Sun. During its elliptical orbit, a comet’s distance from the Sun varies. As a comet nears the Sun, what happens to the speed of its orbit?

• A. The speed decreases due to the gravitational pull of the Sun.

• B. The speed decreases due to an increase in orbit size.

• C. The speed increases due to the gravitational pull of the Sun.

• D. The speed increases due to a decrease in orbit size.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

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The surface of Mercury has many more craters than the surface of Earth has. Which of the following statements best explains why Mercury has many more craters than Earth has?

• A. Mercury rotates faster than Earth does.

• B. Mercury has a smaller mass than Earth has.

• C. Mercury is much closer to the Sun than Earth is.

• D. Mercury has a thinner atmosphere than Earth has.