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36. Space, celestial objects and the origin of the universe

Total questions: 58

Worksheet time: 29mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Shooting stars that land on earth are known as
a)
meteorites
b)
meteors
c)
comets
d)
asteroids
2.
Small bodies made from dust and ice, which orbit the Sun are known as
a)
comets
b)
moons
c)
asteroids
d)
galaxies
3.

The picture shows part of the asteroid belt.

Which one of the following statements about asteroids is INCORRECT?

a)

Asteroids are made of ice and dust.

b)

Asteroids orbit the Sun.

c)

They are left after the formation of the planets.

d)

Most asteroids lie in the belt between Mars and Jupiter.

4.

Asteroids are smaller than planets and are found in a belt between Mars and Jupiter.

What are asteroids made from?

a)

Rock and metal

b)

Rock only

c)

Gas and dust

d)

Ice and dust

5.

Stars, moons and planets are called celestial bodies.

Anything that orbits a celestial body is known as a

a)

satellite

b)

galaxy

c)

asteroid

d)

meteor

6.

Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT?

a)

The smallest known asteroid is called Ceres.

b)

The smallest asteroids are only 1 km wide.

c)

Most asteroids are to be found in the asteroid belt.

d)

Asteroids are leftover rocks from the formation of our solar system.

7.

These objects are also called minor planets and are to be found between Mars and Jupiter.

What are they?

a)

asteroids

b)

meteors

c)

comets

d)

meteorites

8.

The photo shows the comet called Lovejoy which was discovered in 2007.

The dust tails of comets

a)

point away from the sun

b)

are magnetic

c)

are only a few metres long

d)

are made of ice

9.
Rocks that burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving trails behind them are known as
a)
meteors
b)
asteroids
c)
comets
d)
cosmic rays
10.
What object struck the Earth about 65 million years ago, which probably led to the extinction of the dinosaurs?
a)
An asteroid
b)
A moon
c)
A comet
d)
A meteorite
11.

An ancient rock named Bennu was discovered in 1999 drifting into near-Earth space.

Giant rocks that orbit the Sun and are too small to be called planets are known as

a)

asteroids

b)

comets

c)

moons

d)

meteors

12.

The photograph shows a shooting star.

Another name for a shooting star or a streak of light passing across the sky is a

(a)  

13.
A planet’s natural satellite is known as
a)
a moon
b)
a satellite
c)
an asteroid
d)
a galaxy
14.

A moon is a celestial body orbiting a

(a)  

15.

Titan is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere.

It is the largest moon orbiting around

a)

Saturn

b)

Earth

c)

Mars

d)

Venus

16.

The photograph shows Haley’s Comet as it passed close to Earth in 1986.

Which of the following are comets made from?

[There is more than one answer]

a)

Dust

b)

Ice

c)

Gases

d)

Rock

17.

A meteor is seen when an asteroid hits the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and heats up and glows.

If part of an asteroid or comet makes it to the ground, it is called a

(a)  

18.

In 2013, an asteroid about 20 metres wide entered the Earth’s atmosphere in Chelyabinsk, Siberia.

As it entered the Earth’s atmosphere it changed into a (a)   with a tail brighter than the Sun, and caused a shock wave that injured more than 1,600 people.

19.
The nearest star to Earth is
a)
Sun
b)
Alpha Centauri
c)
Proxima Centauri
d)
Pole Star
20.
Our universe is made up of at least a
a)
billion galaxies
b)
million galaxies
c)
hundred planets
d)
million stars
21.
Our Sun is just one of many millions of stars in a group of stars called a
a)
galaxy
b)
cosmos
c)
universe
d)
solar system
22.

The picture shows how the North Star may be located from the group of stars called the Plough.

The North Star is also known as

a)

Polaris

b)

The Plough

c)

Ursa Major

d)

Cassiopeia

23.

A group of students were asked to use two lenses to make a telescope.

The lenses had focal lengths of 20 cm and 40 cm.

How far apart should the lenses be?

a)

60 cm

b)

2 metres

c)

20 cm

d)

2 cm

24.
The unit of length that astronomers use to measure distances to galaxies is the
a)
light year
b)
metre
c)
kilometre
d)
mile
25.

The picture shows Orion the hunter, a group of stars that is quite often seen in the night sky.

A group of stars that forms an imaginary outline or pattern usually representing an animal, mythological person or creature, a god, or an inanimate object is known as a:

a)

constellation

b)

cluster

c)

system

d)

galaxy

26.

Hans Lippershey, a Dutch lens maker is credited with inventing the telescope.

Who is the first person credited with using the telescope to look into space?

a)

Galileo

b)

Copernicus

c)

Newton

d)

Ptolemy

27.

The picture shows the Andromeda Galaxy.

Which of the following shapes typically describes a galaxy?

a)

Elliptical or spiral

b)

Spherical

c)

Conical or spiral

d)

Oval or spherical

28.
Approximately how long does it take the Milky Way to make one complete rotation?
a)
250 million years
b)
250 thousand years
c)
1 year
d)
250 years
29.
Its impossible to count the number of stars in the Milky Way because
a)
they are obscured by dust.
b)
we don't have a computer powerful enough to calculate this number.
c)
they are constanly exploding.
d)
it keeps moving.
30.
The Milky Way is
a)
a galaxy
b)
a planet
c)
a constellation
d)
a star
31.
The closest spiral galaxy to earth is
a)
Andromeda
b)
Milky Way
c)
Ursa Major
d)
Whirlpool
32.

The picture show some of the more than one billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

All stars are the same size

a)

false

b)

true

33.

The picture shows the red giant star called Betelgeuse.

Stars that are called red giants are coloured

a)

orange

b)

pink

c)

white

d)

yellow

34.

The picture shows the constellation called Cassiopeia.

Which one of the following is NOT the name of a constellation?

a)

Cosmos

b)

Scorpio

c)

Sagittarius

d)

Aquarius

35.

The picture shows a black hole from the nasa.gov website.

Black holes are:

a)

the remains of giant stars that have collapsed.

b)

the remains of rocks that burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

c)

the remains of a collapsed star that spins rapidly, firing out radiation from its ends.

d)

giant sinkholes found on some planets.

36.

A region of space having a gravitational field so strong that no matter or radiation can escape is known as a:

a)

black hole

b)

a star

c)

giant constellation

d)

super galaxy

37.

A collapsed star that spins rapidly, firing out radiation from its ends is known as:

a)

a neutron star

b)

a shooting star

c)

a supernova

d)

a white dwarf

38.

A collection of billions of stars is usually known as (a)  

39.

Our galaxy is called (a)  

40.
When we see the Andromeda galaxy, we are seeing it as it was 2.5 million years ago. Why?
a)
It takes light that length of time to travel from Andromeda to Earth.
b)
Light travels really slow in outer space.
c)
Light travels faster than sound.
d)
It is an ancient galaxy.
41.
Edwin Hubble’s discoveries were so important that he had something named after him. What was it?
a)
The Hubble space telescope
b)
The Hubble bridge
c)
The Hubble satellite
d)
The Hubble space orbiter
42.
Which famous scientist discovered that the universe is expanding?
a)
Edwin Hubble
b)
Michael Faraday
c)
Fred Hoyle
d)
Galileo Galilee
43.

Scientists now believe that at one time, everything existed at one point, which then expanded rapidly outwards to form the Universe as it is today.

What is this theory called?

a)

Big Bang Theory

b)

Steady State Theory

c)

Big Crunch Theory

d)

The Theory of Relativity

44.
Where did the Big Bang take place?
a)
Everywhere
b)
Nowhere
c)
At the centre of our solar system
d)
At the centre of our universe
45.
The scientific term Big Bang refers to
a)
the origin of our universe.
b)
the ultimate fate of our universe.
c)
a TV show.
d)
a supernova explosion.
46.
According to latest theories, the Big Bang happened
a)
about 13.8 billion years ago
b)
4.5 billion years ago
c)
3 billion years ago
d)
3 million years ago
47.
Our universe is made up of around a
a)
hundred billion galaxies
b)
hundred million stars
c)
hundred planets
d)
hundred million galaxies
48.
Our Sun is just one of many millions of stars in a group of stars called a
a)
galaxy
b)
universe
c)
cosmos
d)
solar system
49.
Physicists Wilson and Penzias received the Nobel prize for their discovery of the
a)
afterglow of the creation of the universe.
b)
Big Bang theory of the universe.
c)
relationship between energy and matter (E = mc²).
d)
Theory of Relativity.
50.

Some scientists expect the expansion of the universe to slow down and do a reverse of the Big Bang.

This is known as the:

a)

Big Crunch

b)

Big Mac

c)

Big Buck

d)

Steady State Theory

51.
Which one of the following does the Big Bang Theory imply?
a)
The Universe started with a big explosion.
b)
The Universe will end in a big explosion.
c)
The Universe is very noisy.
d)
The universe was created 1 million years ago.
52.
What is the Universe?
a)
Everything that exists
b)
Everything in our galaxy
c)
The Earth, Moon and our neighbouring planets
d)
Everything in our solar system
53.
If scientists discovered new evidence that the Big Bang Theory was totally wrong, what should they do?
a)
Test the new evidence to make sure that it is reproducible.
b)
Ignore the new evidence and continue believing the Big Bang Theory.
c)
Have a party.
d)
Immediately change all books to state that the Big Bang Theory is incorrect.
54.
Where is the centre of the universe?
a)
It has no centre
b)
The Sun
c)
The Earth
d)
The Milky Way
55.
According to current theory, the Universe will stop expanding eventually.
a)
true
b)
false
56.
Because light takes time to travel through space, we see objects as they were when the light was given out, not as they are now.
a)
true
b)
false
57.

The big bang theory is a theory explaining the origin of the Universe.

The graphs show how the size of the Universe may have changed with time.

Which graph would suggest that the ‘Big Bang’ theory is correct?

a)
b)
c)
d)
58.

Current evidence suggests that most of the mass of the universe is in the form of dark (a)   .