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WorksheetsQuiz-The Solar System
Total questions: 60
Worksheet time: 1hrs 11mins
This is the hottest planet, due to its runaway greenhouse effect.
Venus
Mars
Mercury
Earth
Which of the following describe terrestrial planets? (choose 2)
gaseous
rocky
many moons
no rings
Uranus appears to be a blue/green color because of traces of ___________ in its atmosphere.
oxygen
methane
helium
hydrogen
asteroid belt
This planet has the slowest rotation and the fastest revolution.
Earth
Mercury
Mars
Venus
Which of these planets do not have a moon?
Pluto
Venus
Neptune
Which planet has the most moons in our solar system? (based on recent discoveries)
Mercury
Jupiter
Earth
Saturn
Based on patterns observed by scientists, about how old do they estimate our solar system to be?
1 million years old
4.6 billion years old
100 billion years old
150.2 trillion years old
How is a planetesimal formed?
They are formed when hydrogen particles cool rapidly
They are formed when dust and gas particles become larger clumps.
They are formed when radiation causes gas and dust particles to expand.
They are formed when gas particles separate themselves from dust particles.
According to scientists, the solar system formed from
colliding planetesimals.
rotating stars.
colliding nebulae.
a rotating disk of dust and gases.
Scientists have been able to estimate the age of our solar system by age-dating......
earth rocks
moon rocks
rocks from Jupiter's surface
meteorites
Which planet has the lowest surface temperature of any other planet with an atmosphere comprised mostly of nitrogen?
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Uranus
Which planet has an axis of rotation parallel with the plane of its orbit? (i.e. tilts on its side at 90 degrees)
Jupiter
Saturn
Neptune
Uranus
Which of the Jovian planets have rings?
only Saturn and Jupiter
Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune
only Saturn and Neptune
only Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus
One year on Pluto is almost ________ Earth years.
100
300
1,000
3,000
Which of Jupiter's moons has an ICY crust and is believed to have an ocean of fresh water underneath it.
Which of these celestial bodies is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt?
Ceres
Eris
Pluto
Make make
Which dwarf planet has 5 moons?
Eris
Mars
Ceres
Pluto
A comet is made mostly of
Ice, dust and gas
Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen
Donner and Blitzen
Iron Oxide, Carbon Dioxide
Halley's Comet was last seen in 1986. It comes around every 75 years. When will we see it again?
2030
2061
2086
2075
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
A light streaking across the night sky, resulting from a space rock burning up in the atmosphere is classified as a/an....
Away from the Sun, due to solar wind.
Away from the Sun, due to centripetal force.
Toward the Earth
are space rocks found on Earth.
are space rocks that burn up completely in the atmosphere.
are debris from asteroids/comets that float around in space
One similarity between asteroids & comets is that they both
are made primarily of rock
come from the Asteroid Belt
come from the Oort Cloud
orbit the sun
what makes a meteoroid, meteor, and a meteorite different? (best answer)
color
size
location
texture
This shows
scaled size between the planets
scaled distance between the planets
scaled size and distance
Comets that originate in the Oort Cloud have long orbits that are close to being ___
cylindrical
Pluto orbits the Sun on an elliptical, mildly-tilted path, which sometimes brings it closer to the Sun than ___
What is an Astronomical Unit?
The average distance between the Sun and the Moon
The average distance between Neptune and the Sun
The average distance between Earth and the Sun
The average distance between Earth and Moon
During which months will we have the best chance to see meteor showers?
January & March
April & February
August & December
May & October
The moons of Mars are shaped like a potato and their names mean "fear" and "panic." What are their names?
Phobos & Deimos
Phoebe & Damian
Blaze & Cujo
Yukon & Russet
Which of the following combinations match the planet with its moon?
Titan & Neptune
Pluto & Charon
Io & Jupiter
Uranus & Callisto
What would be a good estimate for the time it takes Eris to orbit the sun? (hint: it is located on the outer edges of the Kuiper Belt)
approximately 300 years
approximately 600 years
approximately 10 years
approximately 1000 years
Why didn't we see the asteroid that fell in Chelyabinsk, Russia injuring approximately 1,500 people in 2013?
Because asteroids are dark (only 15% illuminated)
Because it came from the direction of the sun?
Because we were watching a different asteroid.
This impact crater is buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It was formed about 66 million years ago when an asteroid (six miles in diameter) struck Earth. This coincided with the same time frame during which most dinosaurs became extinct.
Duende
Beringer Crater
Chicxulub Crater
Ceres Crater
Which asteroids are thought to be remnants from the formation of the solar system? They are a group of asteroids that orbit the Sun at the same distance as Jupiter. The gravity of the Sun and Jupiter holds these asteroids in orbit.
Trojan Asteroids
Near Earth Asteroids
Main Belt Asteroids
Why is Pluto classified as a Dwarf planet?
Because it does not orbit the Sun.
Because it is not in the solar system.
Because it doesn't have any moons
Because it hasn't cleared it's own orbital path.
Dark Comets look like asteroids, but act like ________.
meteorites
moons
planets
comets
How many “dark comets” were identified by 2023?
3
7
10
100
Which planet is known for its red, rust covered surface?
Why do asteroid's orbits change over time?
Due to the gravity of multiple objects in the solar system changing position and pulling on them.
Due to them colliding with each other changing their direction.
Due to them moving slower because its colder at some point in their orbit.
Why does Mercury get super hot AND super cold? (choose all that apply)
because it is so close to the sun
because it has a thin atmosphere
because it rotates really slow
because it has a runaway greenhouse effect
Which planet was formed first and makes up about 70% of the relative mass of all the planets combined?
What asteroid will OSIRIS-REx explore next in 2029?
Apophis
Bennu
Eris
Toutatis
What is the name of Saturn's largest moon?
Triton
Titan
Io
Europa
Which planet has the largest temperature range? (coldest to hottest)
Mercury
Venus
Neptune
Jupiter
Which of these are common nicknames for Comets?
glow worms
rock stars
dirty snowballs
hairy stars
fuzzy lights
After orbiting the sun frequently Comets break into:
meteors
meteoroids
meteorites
As a meteor enters the earths atmosphere the pressure from the air molecules causes it to heat up due to this force.
gravity
electric field
friction
What is the name for the process during which a comet changes phase as they get close to the sun? (i.e. the phase change that occurs when matter changes from a solid directly into a gas, skipping a liquid phase)
evaporation
deposition
condensation
sublimation
Which meteor showers would be the hardest to view near city lights?
Perseids
Geminids
Lyrids
Orionids
Which of the following are found on Earth and thought to have originated from comets?
water
amino acids
Proteins that make up DNA & RNA
Which planet could float in water if there was an ocean big enough to put it in?
Saturn
Jupiter
Uranus
Neptune
Which planet(s) have pressure that is more than 90 x's Earth's?
Mercury
Venus
Jupiter
Saturn
