Astronomy

What is a light year?

• The time it takes for light to travel to Earth from the center of the Milky Way.

• The distance from our sun to the nearest star.

• A year that contains more helium than other gases.

• The distance that light travels through space in one year.

One Astronomical Unit (AU) is equal to the average distance between the:

• Moon and the Sun.

• Sun and Pluto.

• Earth and the Moon.

• Sun and Mercury.

• Sun and Earth.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

If the Earth is one astronomical unit (AU) from the sun, how many astronomical units away is Neptune?

• about 5 AU

• about 9 AU

• about 19 AU

• about 30 AU

• about 39 AU

Answer explanation

Please revisit the data from the hallway solar system "tour."

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

How much mass of the solar system is contained in the sun?

• More than 99% of the mass.

• About half of the mass. The gas giants also contribute a significant amount of mass.

• About two-thirds of the mass, because the planets are a bit less than a third.

• There is no way to know because you can’t weigh the sun.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Which sequence correctly shows the relative (scaled) sizes of the eight planets plus Pluto in our solar system? Select the letter that corresponds with the correct diagram.

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Choose the correct ranking of measurement units, from largest to smallest. (Note: This symbol > means “greater than.”)

• Kilometer > Astronomical Unit > Light Year

• Light Year > Astronomical Unit > Kilometer

• Astronomical Unit > Kilometer > Light Year

• Kilometer > Light Year > Astronomical Unit

What is found between the planets in our solar system?

• More stars.

• Mostly rocks/asteroids.

• Mostly air.

• Mostly empty space.

Pluto made the news in 2006 when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Which of the following was a reason for "downgrading" Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet?

• Pluto is too cold.

• Pluto does not clear its orbit.

• Pluto is too close to Neptune.

• It really was just to annoy teachers.

Which planet or dwarf planet is approximately 30 times farther from the sun than the Earth is?

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus

• Neptune

• Pluto

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

What do nebulae and stars have in common?

• They are primarily made of gases.

• They are smaller than solar systems.

• Their energy comes from nuclear fusion.

• There is at least one in every solar system.