Exploring Our Solar System Quiz

What is the center of the solar system?

• Earth

• Sun

• Moon

• Mars

Which term is used to describe the average distance from the Earth to the Sun?

• Light year

• Astronomical unit

• Parsec

• Kilometer

Which of the following is a natural satellite that orbits a planet?

• Asteroid

• Moon

• Comet

• Meteoroid

What are small rocky bodies that mostly orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter called?

• Comets

• Asteroids

• Meteoroids

• Planets

Which of the following best describes a comet?

• A rocky object in the asteroid belt

• A small body made of ice, dust, and rock that develops a tail when near the Sun

• A planet’s moon

• A star

What is a meteoroid?

• A planet

• A small rocky or metallic body traveling through space

• A star

• A moon

Which of the following is responsible for the intense heat and pressure in the Sun’s core?

• Solar flares

• Nuclear fusion

• Sunspots

• Solar wind

Which of the following best describes a planet?

• A body that orbits a star, is spherical, and has cleared its orbit

• A small icy body with a tail

• A chunk of rock in the asteroid belt

• A bright spot on the Sun

Which of the following is NOT a component of the solar system?

• Sun

• Planets

• Black holes

• Asteroids

Which of the following is true about the length of a planet’s year?

• It is the same for all planets

• It depends on the planet’s distance from the Sun

• It is shorter for planets farther from the Sun

• It is unrelated to the planet’s orbit