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WorksheetsSolar System Inventory Quiz
Total questions: 94
Worksheet time: 51mins
Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets?
Jupiter
Saturn
Earth
Venus
Uranus
What is true about solar system densities?
the denser planets lie closer to the Sun
in differentiated bodies, the denser materials lie near their surfaces
The asteroids all have the same density
Saturn has the same density as water
Planetary density increases with increasing distance from the Sun.
Which of these bodies has the lowest density?
Saturn
Jupiter
a comet
an asteroid
a Kuiper Belt object
What aspect of the planets' orbits are nearly the same for most planets?
orbital period and shape
shape and tilt from the ecliptic
shape and distance form the Sun
orbital period and distance from the Sun
How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?
made from the same solar nebular, they are all similar
more massive jovians all have high densities, compared to the tiny terrestrials
all terrestrials are denser than any of the jovians
the closer a planet lies to the Sun, the less its density
most asteroid are found:
beyond the orbit of Neptune
between the Earth and Sun
between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
orbiting the jovian planets in captured, retrograde orbits
The Kupier Belt is found where in the solar system?
beyond the orbit of Neptune
between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
between the orbits of Jupiter and Uranus
sixty degrees ahead or behind Jupiter
In composition, asteroid and meteoroids are most like
jovian planets
Kupier Belt objects
comets
terrestrial planets
The difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid is the object's?
size
shape
composition
location in the solar system
The Kupier Belt is an "outer asteroid belt" consisting of what types of solar system bodies?
icy cometlike bodies
asteroid
meteroids
planets
a meteorite is:
a chunk of space debris that has struck the ground
a streak of light in the atmosphere
an icy body with a long tail extending from it
a chunk of space debris orbiting Earth
A successful theory of the formation of the solar system must explain:
that all planets rotate in a prograde sense.
that all planets have elliptical orbits with low eccentricities. (close to circular orbits)
that all planets orbit near the same plane, aligned with the Sun's equator
all observed properties of the solar system.
What factor caused different planets to form out of different types of material?
The angular momentum of the forming planet; faster rotating planets lost the lightest elements.
The quantity of dust particles in the solar nebula; more dust caused some planets to contain heavier elements.
The variation in temperature throughout the solar nebula; the higher the temperature, the lower the percentage of light elements in the forming planet.
The innate variation of chemical composition of the original nebula; the outer parts of the nebula contained a greater abundance of heavy elements.
As a rotating gas cloud contracts, it spins:
faster due to an increase in angular momentum.
slower due to a decrease in angular momentum
faster due to conservation of angular momentum.
slower due to conservation of angular momentum
How does the Sun's mass compare with that of the planets?
It is about a hundred times more massive than Earth
It is about a thousand times more massive than Earth
It is about a hundred times more massive than all the planets combined
It is about a thousand times more massive than all the planets combined
Which of the following is furthest from the Sun?
Pluto
an asteroid in the asteroid belt
a comet in the Kuiper belt
a comet in the Oort cloud
According to our theory of solar system formation, why do all the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and in nearly the same plane?
The original solar nebula happened to be disk-shaped.
Any planets that once orbited in the opposite direction or a different plane were ejected from the solar system.
The laws of conservation of energy and conservation of angular momentum ensure that any rotating, collapsing cloud will end up as a spinning disk.
The Sun formed first, and as it grew in size it spread into a disk, rather like the way a ball of dough can be flattened into a pizza by spinning it.
We would expect that a very small fraction of all planetary systems would have planets orbiting in such a pattern, so ours turned out that way due to random chance.
Which of the following are relatively unchanged fragments from the early period of planet building in the solar system?
asteroids
Kuiper belt comets
Oort cloud comets
all of the above
Which of the following lists the planets of our solar system in the correct order from closest to farthest from the Sun?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Mercury, Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus
Earth, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Suppose you view the solar system from high above Earth's North Pole. Which of the following statements about planetary orbits will be true?
All the planets orbit counterclockwise around the Sun
The inner planets orbit the Sun counterclockwise while the outer planets orbit the Sun clockwise.
All the planets except Uranus orbit the Sun counterclockwise; Uranus orbits in the opposite direction.
The inner planets orbit the Sun clockwise while the outer planets orbit the Sun counterclockwise.
Check all the following statements that are TRUE
Asteroids are made of rock and metal
Comets are made of ice, rock, and dust
Comets can be found in the Oort Cloud
All the above
Asteroids can range in size from 1 meter to 1000Km
TRUE
FALSE
Asteroids are irregularly shaped due to less mass and gravitational force
TRUE
FALSE
Where are most of the asteroids in the solar system located?
Asteroid Belt
Orion's Belt
Gemini Area
What compromises the structure of a comet?
Nucleus, Coma, Dust tail, Ice
Nucleus, Dust tail & gases
Nucleus, Coma, dust tail & gas tail (ion tail)
Nickname for Comets--
Rocks that glow
rock "stars"
dirty snowballs
After orbiting the sun frequently Comets break into:
meteors
meteoroids
meteorites
Meteor is also known as a shooting star
TRUE
FALSE
What creates a bowl shaped hole known as a crater
meteor
meteorite
meteoroid
What contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago? Check all that apply
impact asteroid
blocking of sunlight
plants could not photsynthesize
Ecosystem disruption due to climate change
Comets differ from asteroids primarily in
icy composition
rocky composition
gaseous composition
liquid composition
Comets spend most of their time in the _____.
asteroid belt
earth's orbit
oort cloud
The asteroids in front of and behind Jupiter are called
Galilean asteroids
Main belt asteroids
Near Earth asteroids
Trojan asteroids
The asteroids that come in between Venus and Mars are called
Galilean asteroids
Main belt asteroids
Near Earth asteroids
Trojan asteroids
What is the average distance between two asteroids in the asteroid belt?
6 miles
600 miles
6 - 60 inches
600,000 miles
0-6 miles
While meteorites are found all over the Earth, the place where they are easiest to be found is…
Deserts
Beaches
Glaciers
Antarctica
Which is true of our dwarf planets?
More massive than nearby objects
Never have moons
Orbit near the Sun
Rounded shapes by gravity
The dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt is ___
Ceres
Eris
Pluto
Make make
The most recent definition of a planet was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It says a planet must do three things, one of those things are...
It must orbit a larger planet.
It must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun).
It must orbit a moon.
It must orbit the MIlky Way
The most recent definition of a planet was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It says a planet must do three things, one of those things are...
It must be big enough to attract comets and asteroids.
It must be big enough to be seen from a telescope.
It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape.
It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force a moon into orbit.
The most recent definition of a planet was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It says a planet must do three things, one of those things are...
It must have cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun.
It must have organic life forms.
It must have an an orbit inside the asteroid belt.
It must have at least one moon.
Pluto was declassified has a planet because...
it's too small.
it's not a sphere.
it hasn't cleared it's orbit of debris.
it's orbit around the Sun is so strange.
Where do most comets come from?
In the Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud beyond Neptune's orbit
In the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter
Near the Sun
Earth's atmosphere
Which of the following is one difference between the way terrestrial planets and Jovian planets formed?
The terrestrial planets formed only from bits of ice.
The Jovian planets formed only from bits of ice.
The terrestrial planets formed only from metals and silicate minerals.
The Jovian planets formed only from metals and silicateminerals.
How does the diameter of the terrestrial and Jovian planets compare?
The diameters of the Jovian planets are much larger.
The diameters of the terrestrial planets are much larger.
All but one of the terrestrial planets have diameters about equal to the diameters of the Jovian planets.
All but one of the Jovian planets have diameters about-equal to the diameters of the terrestrial planets.
The tail of a comet always points:
toward the Sun and disappears at perihelion.
toward Earth and never varies.
away from the Sun and disappears at perihelion.
away from the Sun and becomes longest and brightest at perihelion.
in the direction of the comet's motion.
When a formal definition of a planet in the solar system was adopted, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. What characteristic of planets does NOT describe Pluto?
Planets orbit the Sun.
Planets are approximately spherical.
Planets have cleared the neighborhood around their orbit.
Planets orbit in ellipses with low eccentricity.
Planets orbit in or very near the ecliptic plane.
The major impact in the Yucatan wiped out the dinosaurs:
about 450 million years ago.
about 200 million years ago.
about 65 million years ago.
about 36 million years ago.
less than 2 million years ago.
The first hint of the role of asteroids in extinction of the dinosaurs came from:
finding the huge crater in the Yucatan.
finding dinosaur fossils with meteorites embedded in them.
finding a layer of worldwide iridium enriched dust.
finding that dinosaurs were warm-blooded and smart.
finding that no volcanic eruptions were linked to their disappearance.
Which element is rarely found on the earth’s crust but commonly found in asteroids?
hydrogen
plutonium
iridium
uranium
helium
The diagram above shows the outer solar system. The heliosphere has been labeled. Which number correctly depicts the Heliopause?
1
2
3
4
5
Which number correctly depicts the location of the Kuiper Belt?
1
2
3
4
5
Which of the following statements about NEO's (Near Earth Objects) is TRUE?
we have identified just about all NEO's with diameters greater than 1 km
no NEO has passed closer to the Earth than the orbit of the Moon
it is unlikely that any NEO's have hit the Earth during our planet's history
NEO's can include both asteroids and comets that cross the Earth's orbit
Which of the following is the best way to defend ourselves against an asteroid which is on course to collide with the Earth in 7 years?
The only thing we could do would be to move some people to the Moon so they could survive
If we do it early enough, we could explode something on or near the asteroid to deflect it slightly, so that years later it would then miss the Earth
Asteroids are all rubble piles, so the only thing that would protect us would be a huge thermos-nuclear explosion that vaporizes the entire asteroid
There is no problem, because all asteroid burn up by friction in the Earth’s thick atmosphere
How can astronomers measure the age of a meteorite that fell from the skies?
Just like for planets, we measure the age by counting the number of craters on the meteorite
Meteorites all contain metals and the metal conducts electricity better and better as it ages
They measure the amount still left of radioactive materials in the meteorite, and how much has turned into decay products
The age of a meteorite can be found from the angle at which it enters the Earth’s atmosphere; so scientists can only get the ages of meteorites they observe falling
Reorder the following events of the nebular theory
Formation of the nebula
Protosun forming
Spinning planetary disk
Solar System
Protoplanets and moon forming
In the correct order, how did our solar system form?
A star formed, stellar winds blew lighter material away, and that material stuck together to make planets
Stellar winds caused a planet to form, which made material stick together and create a star
Material stuck together to make planets, stellar winds blew heavier material away, and a star formed
A star formed, material stuck together, and the solar winds blew the heavier planets away
Which solar system group is: spherical, gas, long orbit times, and large?
outer planets
inner planets
kuiper belt objects
asteroids
Which solar system group is: small, made of icy rock, with long orbit times?
outer planets
inner planets
kuiper belt objects
asteroids
Which solar system group is: small, rocky, non-spherical, with somewhat short orbit times?
outer planets
inner planets
kuiper belt objects
asteroids
Which solar system group is: small, rocky, spherical, with short orbit times?
outer planets
inner planets
kuiper belt objects
asteroids
Why is it hard to find very old rocks on Earth?
Erosion, volcanic eruptions and other processes destroy rocks
The Earth didn't become solid for billions of years
The oldest rocks were made into the moon during a collision
The oldest rocks were destroyed in a huge collision that killed the dinosaurs
What are the small bodies in the early stages of development of the solar system called?
Where did the water in the oceans originate?
Oceans were already apart of the creation of Earth
Water from asteroids and comets
Atmospheric hydrogen reacting with oxygen
Early life forms respirating
Life on Earth started as:
amino acids from meteorites
cyanobacteria
a pool of genetic material
eukaryotic cells
