Galaxy and Solar System

Earth belongs to a system of gas, dust, stars, and orbiting objects known as which of the following?

• Pinwheel Galaxy

• Milky Way Galaxy

• Andromeda Galaxy

• Sombrero Galaxy

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Which of the labeled planets represents the relative position of Earth?

• Planet A

• Planet B

• Planet C

• Planet D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Astronomers study many different kinds of objects in our Solar System. Which of the following best describes a difference between comets and asteroids?

• Comets orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, and asteroids form patterns in the sky.

• Comets orbit planets and most asteroids orbit the Sun.

• Comets are made mostly of ice, and asteroids are made mostly of rocks.

• Comets are hot balls of gas, and asteroids are made mostly of ice.

Scientists discover a relatively small object in an orbital path around the Sun, as shown in the diagram below.
Based on this information, the object is most likely which of the following?

• Comet

• Star

• Planet

• Moon

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Jacob started creating a diagram to show some of the common characteristics of the planets in our solar system. Which characteristic should Jacob write in the empty circle of the diagram?

• Made mostly of gas

• Has a rocky surface

• Revolves around a star

• It is a satellite of another planet

Over many decades while surveying deep space, scientists have spotted unknown objects. While the scientists still are not sure what all of the objects are, their observations give them clues. Some of their observations are shown below. Based on the information above, which scientist did not link their explanation to a verified observation?

• Scientist 1

• Scientist 2

• Scientist 3

• Scientist 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

A team of scientists working at the Tonantzintla Observatory in Cholula Mexico think they may have discovered a new comet in our solar system. Before they made their announcement, they recorded as much information about the new comet as they could. Some of their records are shown below. Which piece of information from the scientists' notebook was a verified observation?

• This discovery will make our observatory famous.

• Other scientists will be interested in this comet.

• This comet probably came from another star.

• The comet is 125 miles long and 24 miles wide.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Ganymede is a moon of Jupiter. It is larger than Mercury and has a metallic core similar to Earth’s core. Which of the statements below best explains why Ganymede is classified as a moon rather than a planet?

• It is too large to be called a planet

• It orbits Jupiter instead of the sun.

• Its properties are different from Jupiter.

• It is farther from the sun than Mercury.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Joselin divided some of the planets into two main groups. The table below shows how she grouped them. Which two categories did Joselin most likely use to group the planets?

• Planets and dwarf planets

• Planets with moons and planets without moons

• Objects that orbit the sun and objects that orbit other bodies

• Rocky planets and gas planets

The center of our solar system is the....

• Earth

• Sun

• Moon

• Asteroid belt

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1