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WorksheetsSolar System Planets and Objects
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
In 1639 the Italian astronomer Giovanni Zupi discovered that Mercury _____
a)
undergoes a complete cycle of phases
b)
has an elliptical orbit
c)
is covered in craters
d)
has an iron core
2.
The model of the Earth orbiting the Sun is known as _____
a)
geocentrism
b)
heliocentrism
c)
the Ptolemaic model
d)
the Newtonian model
3.
On Mercury, craters are named after _____
a)
gods
b)
animals
c)
scientists
d)
artists
4.
How many naked-eye solar system objects are in the sky?
a)
five
b)
six
c)
seven
d)
eight
5.
Venus is the _____ brightest natural object in the sky
a)
fifth
b)
second
c)
third
d)
fourth
6.
Through a telescope, Venus can be seen to undergo _____ just like the Moon and Mercury do
a)
phases
b)
precessions
c)
perterbations
d)
inversions
7.
Venus is highly reflective of the Sun's light, due to it's _____
a)
thick cloud layer
b)
thin cloud layer
c)
white dust surface
d)
volcanic activity
8.
The atmosphere on Venus is almost entirely composed of _____
a)
nitrogen
b)
carbon dioxide
c)
oxygen
d)
carbon monoxide
9.
Surface features on Venus are all named after _____
a)
men or gods
b)
women or goddesses
c)
artists or playwrights
d)
rocks or minerals
10.
Unlike the other three terrestrial planets, Earth has _____
a)
liquid water
b)
an iron core
c)
polar ice caps
d)
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
11.
Earth's inner core is solid, and made mostly of _____
a)
iron oxide
b)
nickel and cobalt
c)
iron and nickel
d)
nickel and copper
12.
The consistency of the mantle is like _____
a)
molten lava
b)
very thick hot plastic
c)
molasses in January
d)
moldable clay
13.
Earth's magnetic field is mainly generated by _____
a)
convection of liquid in the outer core
b)
rotating solid in the inner core
c)
convection of liquid in the inner core
d)
rotating solid in the outer core
14.
Mars is often referred to as _____
a)
the Red Planet
b)
the Cold Planet
c)
the Blue Planet
d)
the Hot Planet
15.
Compared to Earth, Mars is only about _____
a)
one-quarter of the size
b)
one-third of the size
c)
one-half of the size
d)
three-quarters of the size
16.
What is the name of largest volcano in the solar system?
a)
Arsia Mons
b)
Mauna Kea
c)
Mauna Loa
d)
Olympus Mons
17.
The gigantic crack in the surface of Mars is called _____
a)
Baltis Vallis
b)
the Great Rift Valley
c)
Valles Marineris
d)
Ithaca Chasma
18.
In the cold season, what substance coats the polar ices caps, from 1 to 8 meters thick?
a)
frozen carbon dioxide
b)
solid water
c)
liquid nitrogen
d)
volcanic ash
19.
The atmosphere of Mars is mostly composed of _____
a)
carbon dioxide
b)
ammonia
c)
carbon monoxide
d)
sulfur oxides
20.
What are the names of the two small moons of Mars?
a)
Callisto and Europa
b)
Io and Ganymede
c)
Deimos and Phobos
d)
Titan and Rhea
21.
How many Earths could fit inside Jupiter?
a)
about 20
b)
about 100
c)
about 500
d)
about 1000
22.
Who discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter?
a)
Newton
b)
Hooke
c)
Galileo
d)
Copernicus
23.
The colossal hurricane on Jupiter is dubbed _____
a)
the Great Red Spot
b)
the Eye of the Storm
c)
the Vast Dark Spot
d)
the Hooke Squall
24.
Saturn's density is about _____ that of water
a)
1/2
b)
2/3
c)
3/4
d)
4/5
25.
Who correctly interpreted the appearance of the rings surrounding Saturn?
a)
Galileo
b)
Huygens
c)
Newton
d)
Copernicus
26.
On average, what is the thickness of Saturn's rings?
a)
about ten millimeters thick
b)
about ten centimeters thick
c)
about ten meters thick
d)
about ten kilometers thick
27.
Which of Saturn's moons is bigger than Mercury?
a)
Titan
b)
Tethys
c)
Mimas
d)
Enceladus
28.
What liquid has been found, residing in lakes, on Titan’s north and south poles?
a)
water
b)
methane
c)
ammonia
d)
hydrogen
29.
In what year did Galileo discover moons orbiting Jupiter?
a)
1610
b)
1640
c)
1670
d)
1710
30.
How many of Jupiter's moons are referred to as "Galilean moons"?
a)
two
b)
three
c)
four
d)
five
31.
The biggest of Jupiter's moons is _____
a)
Io
b)
Europa
c)
Ganymede
d)
Callisto
32.
Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, is even bigger than the planet _____
a)
Mercury
b)
Venus
c)
Mars
d)
Earth
33.
Which moon has an entire ocean of water sealed up under a solid crust of ice?
a)
Io
b)
Europa
c)
Ganymede
d)
Callisto
34.
The interiors of Ganymede, Io, and Europa are kept warm by _____
a)
nuclear fision
b)
nuclear fusion
c)
tidal flexing
d)
volcanic activity
35.
Which moon likely has everything it needs to spawn life?
a)
Io
b)
Europa
c)
Ganymede
d)
Callisto
36.
The distance from a star where liquid water can exist on a planet's surface is called the _____
a)
aqua-region
b)
life area
c)
habitable zone
d)
bio-space
37.
Under ordinary conditions, how many planets can you see in the sky without a telescope?
a)
four
b)
five
c)
six
d)
seven
38.
In 1781, who discovered the planet Uranus using a telescope?
a)
Edmund Hubble
b)
William Herschel
c)
Isaac Newton
d)
Nicolaus Copernicus
39.
While Venus is flipped all the way over, Uranus is tilted by about _____
a)
86°
b)
90°
c)
94°
d)
98°
40.
Which spacecraft has been the only one to visit Uranus?
a)
Voyager 2, in 1986
b)
Magellan, in 1990
c)
Cassini, in 1998
d)
Viking 2, in 1978
41.
Voyager saw a huge storm marring Neptune’s face, called _____
a)
the Great Red Spot
b)
the Great Dark Spot
c)
the Great Blue Spot
d)
the Great Azure Spot
42.
Sustained wind speeds in Neptune’s atmosphere have been clocked at over _____
a)
200 kph
b)
500 kph
c)
1000 kph
d)
2000 kph
43.
Neptune has over a dozen known moons, the largest of these is ____
a)
Triton
b)
Proteus
c)
Nereid
d)
Larissa
44.
Neptune is the only planet in the solar system found _____
a)
by accident
b)
via math
c)
via indirect observation
d)
by a space probe
45.
In the diagram of the solar system, where is the big gap that bugged astronomers?
a)
between Mars and Jupiter
b)
between Jupiter and Saturn
c)
between Saturn and Uranus
d)
between Uranus and Neptune
46.
Giuseppe Piazzi's discovery, the first known asteroid, was named _____
a)
Ceres
b)
Vesta
c)
Lutetia
d)
Gaspra
47.
How many asteroids have been discovered to date?
a)
450
b)
thousands
c)
tens of thousands
d)
hundreds of thousands
48.
Ceres has a water-ice mantle which probably contains _____
a)
more than all the water on Earth
b)
almost as much water as on Earth
c)
more than all the freshwater on Earth
d)
almost as much as the freshwater on Earth
49.
What is the term for a solid, such as the ice on Ceres, turning directly into a gas?
a)
sublimation
b)
condensation
c)
deposition
d)
evaporation
50.
The points along a planet's orbit where the gravitational forces are in balance are called _____
a)
Lagrange points
b)
Trojan points
c)
Newton points
d)
Etan points
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