6.1.3 Solar System

Question: Compare and contrast the planets Earth and Saturn.

• Earth is a gas giant with rings, while Saturn is a terrestrial planet with a solid surface.
• Earth and Saturn are both planets in the solar system, but Earth is a terrestrial planet with a solid surface and supports life, while Saturn is a gas giant with no solid surface and has a thick atmosphere. Earth has one moon, whereas Saturn has many moons and a ring system.
• Both Earth and Saturn have the same number of moons and no rings.
• Earth and Saturn are both made entirely of ice and have no atmosphere.

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1. Which list of properties describes the OUTER planets of our solar system?

• Small and rocky
• At the edge of the solar system
• Large and gas giants
• irregularly-shaped objects orbiting between Mars and Jupiter

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2. What are the INNER planets of our solar system like?

• Small and rocky
• gas giants
• Irregularly-shaped objects orbiting between Mars and Jupiter

3. Which two planets in this list are out of order? The planets are listed in order as they orbit closet from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune

• Mercury and Earth
• Earth and Venus
• Saturn and Jupiter
• Uranus and Neptune

4. How big is an AU (Astronomical Unit?)

• The distance from Earth to Sun
• The distance light travels in one year
• The average distance between planets in the Solar System
• More than a kilometer but less than a mile

5. Why would a year on Earth be longer than a year on Mercury?

• Mercury has farther to travel around the Sun
• Earth spins faster than Mercury
• Mercury spins faster than Earth
• Earth has a larger orbit than Mercury and takes longer to go around the Sun

6. Why is Venus hotter than Mercury even though it is farther away from the Sun

• Venus has much longer days than Mercury
• Venus is tilted towards the Sun, so it is always summer
• Venus is not hotter than Mercury
• Venus has a thick atmosphere that traps heat

8. According to the chart, which two planets have atmospheres that are mostly carbon dioxide?

• Venus and Mars
• Jupiter and Saturn
• Uranus and Neptune
• Pluto and Earth

9. According to the table, which planet rotates or spins slowest?

• Neptune
• Uranus
• Saturn
• Venus

10. What is wrong with this (and most) images of the Solar System?

• There are too many stars
• There are too many asteroids between Mars and Jupiter
• The distances between planets are not to scale
• Mercury is way too close to the Sun. It will burn up

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