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Solar System and Moon Formation

Total questions: 38

Worksheet time: 20mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Scientists believe the solar system began as a cloud of dust, gasses and ice that was forced together by a supernova. This is an example of

a)

The Death Star Theory

b)

The Big Bang Theory

c)

The Nebular Theory

d)

The Orion Theory

2.

A large asteroid belt appears in our solar system where?

a)

Between Saturn and Uranus

b)

Between the sun and Mercury

c)

Between Mars and Jupiter

d)

Between Tatooine and Dagobah

3.

Comets are large chunks of rock and ice that....

a)

Travel in a straight line

b)

Destroy planets

c)

Orbit the sun

d)

Originate in other galaxies

4.

A meteoriod becomes a meteor by...

a)

Acquiring more materials as it travels

b)

Entering earth's atmosphere and beginning to burn

c)

Striking a planet

d)

growing in size

5.

The theory that says the moon is a sister world that formed in orbit around Earth at the same time as the Earth formed is called...

a)

The Accretion Theory

b)

The Big Bang Theory

c)

The Attrition Theory

d)

The Nebular Theory

6.

The theory of moon formation that says the Moon was somewhere in space, and was captured into orbit around Earth is the ...

a)

Net Theory

b)

Bell Theory

c)

Moon Capture Theory

d)

Accretion Theory

7.

The theory that says early Earth spun so fast that it spun off a chunk that became the moon.

a)

Fission Theory

b)

Fusion Theory

c)

Nuclear Theory

d)

Chunk Theory

8.

A large body crashed into the earth, causing debris that formed the moon.

a)

The comet theory

b)

The meteor theory

c)

The asteroid theory

d)

the giant impact hypothesis

9.

If a meteoroid is a rocky space fragment, then what is it called after it hits the ground?

a)

Asteroid

b)

Comet

c)

Meteor

d)

Meteorite

10.

What do we call an icy remnant of the Solar System's formation?

a)

Asteroid

b)

Comet

c)

Meteoroid

d)

Moon

11.

The density of gas in a collapsing interstellar cloud is low at first, but ____________________draws matter together until it is concentrated enough to form a star and possibly planets.

a)

space

b)

mass

c)

gravity

d)

dust

12.

The rotating disk surrounding the young Sun became our

a)

moon

b)

planet

c)

comet

d)

solar system

13.

Space objects built of solid particles that can form planets through collisions and mergers are called

a)

comets

b)

asteroids

c)

planetesimals

14.

Select all that apply

Which are true about the terrestrial planets?

a)

They formed by the merging of planetesimals in the inner part of the main disk.

b)

They are composed of elements that did not vaporize.

c)

They formed by the merging of icy planetesimals near the outer part of the main disk.

d)

They are rocky and dense.

15.

How old is the solar system?

a)

4.6 billion years old

b)

4.6 million years old

c)

6 million years old

d)

13.7 billion years old

16.

What FORCE caused the cloud to flatten into a planetary disc?

a)

magnetism

b)

gravity

c)

adhesion

d)

surface tension

17.

Before the planets were formed, __________ appeared in the spinning disc.

a)

meteors and meteoroids

b)

planetesimals and protoplanets

c)

comets and asteroids

d)

dwarf planets and moons

18.

What is this?

a)

planetary disc

b)

protoplanet

c)

protosun

d)

nebulary cloud

19.

The theory that explains how the solar system was formed is known as:

a)

The solar nebula theory

b)

The big bang theory

c)

The theory of gravity

d)

The solar eclipse theory

20.
How long ago was our sun formed?
a)
10 million years ago
b)
5 million years ago
c)
4.5 billion years ago
d)
2 billion years ago
21.
What force acted on the massive nebula to collapse it and eventually form our sun?
a)
electrostatic force
b)
strong force
c)
 weak force
d)
gravity
22.
What is the nebular hypothesis?
a)
Prediction about how the universe was formed
b)
Prediction of how the moon was formed
c)
Prediction of how comets were formed
d)
Prediction of how the Solar System was formed
23.
the process that provides the sun with its energy
a)
solar flare
b)
Photosphere
c)
radiative zone
d)
nuclear fusion
24.

The outer planets include Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. They are called the _______________.

a)

Ringed Planets

b)

Gas Giants

c)

Ice Giants

d)

Peripheral planets

25.

Earth is included among Mercury, Venus, and Mars in the inner, or ____________ planets.

a)

Echelon

b)

Peripheral

c)

Celestial

d)

Terrestrial

26.

The belt of icy bodies that exists outside of Neptune's orbit is called...

a)

The exoplanets

b)

The Kuiper Belt

c)

The Icy Belt

d)

The Orion Nebula

27.

Comets are large chunks of rock and ice that....

a)

Travel in a straight line

b)

Destroy planets

c)

Orbit the sun

d)

Originate in other galaxies

28.

The theory that says the moon is a sister world that formed in orbit around Earth at the same time as the Earth formed is called...

a)

The Accretion Theory

b)

The Big Bang Theory

c)

The Attrition Theory

d)

The Nebular Theory

29.

The theory of moon formation that says the Moon was somewhere in space, and was captured into orbit around Earth is the ...

a)

Net Theory

b)

Bell Theory

c)

Moon Capture Theory

d)

Accretion Theory

30.

The theory that says early Earth spun so fast that it spun off a chunk that became the moon.

a)

Fission Theory

b)

Fusion Theory

c)

Nuclear Theory

d)

Chunk Theory

31.

A large body crashed into the earth, causing debris that formed the moon.

a)

The comet theory

b)

The meteor theory

c)

The asteroid theory

d)

the giant impact hypothesis

32.

Match the following

a)

1.

Gravity causing dust and gas to condense

b)

2.

A solar nebula.

c)

3.

A cloud of dust and gas (nebula)

d)

4.

Planetesimals/debris continue to collide

e)

5.

Accretion of debris to form planetesimal

33.

On tectonically inactive bodies like the Moon and Mercury, craters from the ___ ___ ___ are clearly visible.

a)

Late Light Bombardment

b)

Late Heavy Bombardment

c)

Early Heavy Bombardment

d)

On Time Bobardment

34.

At just over 4.6 _____ years ago the early solar system began to resemble what we see today.

a)

million

b)

billion

c)

trillion

d)

what's bigger than a trillion?

35.

Our moon was created by ______.

a)

Azgardians like Thor and Heimdahl

b)

little green men

c)

clumping of matter near the early Earth

d)

a collision between the early Earth and another protoplanet

36.

The hot, dense center of a collapsing gas cloud (before a star forms) is called a ____.

a)

prestar

b)

priorstar

c)

protostar

d)

protonstar

37.
Why are craters on the moon so well-preserved?
a)
No atmosphere = no precipitation for erosion
b)
The rocks on the moon are more solid
c)
The rocks on the moon absorb more impact
38.

Nebulae are primarily composed of what two elements?

a)
Hydrogen
b)
Helium
c)
Other hard elements
d)
Zinc