Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

B Solar System Practice Scioly

Total questions: 100

Worksheet time: 50mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why was Pluto ultimately reclassified as a dwarf planet?

a)

Due to the discovery of asteroids.

b)

Because it was so small.

c)

Due to the discovery of Ceres.

d)

Because it was made of only gas.

e)

Due to the discovery of Eris.

2.

Which stellar stage is the star Betelgeuse in?

a)

T Tauri

b)

Main Sequence

c)

Asymptotic Giant Branch

d)

Red Supergiant

3.

Which NASA mission received a gravity boost from Jupiter while capturing images of Io in 2007, visited Pluto in the summer of 2015, and is currently on its way to a second Kuiper Belt object?

a)

New Horizons

b)

Curiosity

c)

Messenger

d)

Venera

e)

Dawn

4.

What does VERITAS detect?

a)

Gamma rays

b)

Asteroids orbit in comparison to earth

c)

takes sharp pictures of the sky

d)

celestial objects

5.

Periapsis

a)

The point in the path of an orbiting body at which it is nearest to the body that it orbits.

b)

The point in the path for an object orbiting the Earth at which it is nearest the Earth

c)

The point in the path for an object orbiting the Sun at which it is nearest the Sun

6.

When, approximately, was the Late Heavy Bombardment?

a)

4.3 to 4.1 Gya

b)

4.1 to 3.8 Gya

c)

3.8 to 3.5 Gya

d)

3.5 to 3.2 Gya

e)

3.2 to 2.9 Gya

7.

If Jupiter is approximately considered 5 times away from the Sun compared to the distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately how much Solar energy would Jupiter receive?

a)

5 times the energy received by the earth

b)

10 times the energy received by the earth

c)

1/25 times the energy received by the earth

d)

1/5 times the energy received by the earth

e)

1/125 times the energy received by the earth

8.

Triton contains 99.7% of the mass of Neptune's satellite system.

a)

True

b)

False

9.

Which of Kepler's Laws imply that a planet will be moving faster when closer to the star it orbits rather than farther?

a)

First law

b)

Second law

c)

Third law

d)

None of the laws

10.

Which of the following detection methods relies on the same concept as eclipses?

a)

Radial Velocity

b)

Transiting

c)

Direct Imaging

d)

Spectroscopy

11.

Astronomers use Cepheids principally as measures of what?

a)

speed

b)

size

c)

distance

d)

composition

12.

Which of the following best describes 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko?

a)

Comet that likely originated in the Kuiper belt

b)

Comet that likely originated in the Oort Cloud

c)

Asteroid that likely originated in the Kuiper belt

d)

Asteroid that likely originated in the Oort Cloud

e)

Minor Planet

13.

Kepler's first law states that "All planets orbit the sun in a path that resembles an ellipse, with the sun being located at _______ of that ellipse."

a)

The center

b)

One of the foci

c)

The center of a semi "minor" axis

d)

The center of a semi "major" axis

14.

Although still contested about the actual origins and whichever came first, life on Earth started with the arrival of ______ and ______.

a)

Hydrogen and Helium

b)

Amino Acids and RNA

c)

Carbon and Oxygen

d)

Amino Acids and DNA

e)

Other: _______

15.

Which method of detection uses eclipsing to detect exoplanets?

a)

Radial Velocity

b)

Direct Imaging

c)

Transiting

d)

None of the above

16.

Which of the following permitted Martian volcanoes to become so massive?

a)

The thick Martian crust

b)

The absence of plate tectonics

c)

The weaker gravity of Mars

d)

All of the above

17.

One use of exoplanet research is to better understand our own Solar System. Recently, amidst the debate surrounding a hypothetical "Planet Nine," astronomers observed an exoplanet orbiting around 737 AU (!!!) from its parent star. Considering this very large separation, which of the following exoplanet detection methods did they likely use to observe this exoplanet?

a)

Transit

b)

Radial Velocity

c)

Direct imaging

18.

How many known satellites does Makemake have?

a)

0

b)

1

c)

2

d)

3

e)

4

19.

Which of Saturn's moons has a low density and is mostly composed of water ice?

a)

Phoebe

b)

Mimas

c)

Rhea

d)

Titan

e)

Iapetus

20.

Do astronomers believe that this moon has potential for life?

a)

Yes; there is a chance that organisms could live in environments similar to hydrothermal vents or like endoliths

b)

Yes; The moon has liquid water on its surface and habitable temperatures

c)

No; there is not enough liquid water to allow for life as we know it

d)

No; the moon is too cold

21.

The provided light curve shows the apparent brightness of a celestial object over time. What is the approximate period of this brightness variation?

a)

~0.1 days

b)

~0.1 years

c)

~0.05 days

d)

~0.05 years

e)

~0.25 days

22.

The light coming from a star that is moving away from the Earth appears:

a)

Infrared

b)

Redshifted

c)

Blueshifted

d)

Ultraviolet

e)

Brighter

23.

An organism that can survive hot temperature between 41 degrees C and 70 degrees C

a)

Halophile

b)

Thermophile

c)

Psychrophile

d)

Acidophile

24.

If you can see a full moon at your position on Earth, what moon phase would exist if you went to exactly the opposite side of the world at the exact same instant?

a)

New Moon

b)

First Quarter

c)

Third Quarter

d)

Full Moon

25.

DAVINCI

a)

Jupiter

b)

67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko

c)

101955 Bennu

d)

Venus

e)

Mars

26.

What kind of star is TOI-561?

a)

Brown dwarf

b)

Orange dwarf

c)

Red dwarf

d)

Main Sequence

27.

What does Arrokoth's reddish color come from?

a)

Oxidized iron

b)

Cinnabar

c)

Alkali feldspar

d)

Tholins

28.

Spectral line splitting due to the influence of magnetic fields is called:

a)

Boltzman Effect

b)

Zeeman Effect

c)

Planck Effect

d)

Zanstra's Effect

29.

Which of Kepler's laws predicts a planet will move more slowly when it is far from the sun and more rapidly when it is close to the sun?

a)

First

b)

Second

c)

Third

d)

None of these

30.

Roughly how long does it take for a stellar iron core to collapse during a supernova?

a)

1 year

b)

1 day

c)

1 second

d)

1 minute

31.

How many miles is 1 AU?

a)

69 million

b)

93 million

c)

89 million

d)

78 million

32.

Which of the following planets has been observed to have extensive Van Allen belts similar to those of Earth?

a)

Mercury

b)

Mars

c)

Jupiter

d)

Venus

33.

Distances within our solar system are measured using all of the following units EXCEPT _____?

a)

Light year

b)

Mile

c)

Astronomical Unit

d)

Kilometer

34.

Now, let's consider a different system where the planet has an equilibrium temperature that is twice as cold as necessary to support liquid water on its surface. If its host star grew 4x larger in radius but became 2x cooler, would the planet now be warm enough to host liquid water?

a)

No, because the planet would remain at the same temperature

b)

No, because the planet is even colder now

c)

Yes, because the planet is exactly twice as warm now

d)

Yes, because the planet is more than twice as warm now

35.

Which of the following planets has the lowest average surface temperature?

a)

Venus

b)

Earth

c)

Mars

d)

Mercury

36.

Ceres, the largest asteroid, is nearly the size of Earth's Moon.

a)

True

b)

False

37.

How far is Mars from the sun?

a)

141.6 million km

b)

300 million miles

c)

232 million km

d)

141.6 million miles

38.

Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft that flew past all four giant planets.

a)

True

b)

False

39.

Trojans are located at Lagrangian points.

a)

True

b)

False

40.

Select all of the following bodies that are thought to have had cryovolcanism at some point in the past

a)

Vesta

b)

Mercury

c)

Titan

d)

Ceres

e)

Io

41.

This reaction takes place in the core of Sun.

a)

Chemical Ignition

b)

Nuclear Fusion

c)

Nuclear Fission

d)

Combustion of gases

42.

Which of the following objects has the longest sidereal period?

a)

Mercury

b)

Venus

c)

Mars

d)

Neptune

e)

Pluto

43.

Titan is thought to contain a subsurface ocean composed primarily of:

a)

CH4 and C2H6

b)

CH4 and C2H2

c)

H2O and CH4

d)

H2O and NH3

44.

In our solar system, which planet has a moon with a mass closest to its own?

a)

Earth

b)

Mars

c)

Venus

d)

Neptune

45.

Pluto is tilted 57 degrees from its plane of orbit.

a)

True

b)

False

46.

Mars has the largest volcano in the Solar System

a)

True

b)

False

47.

Mercury is synchronously tidally locked to the Sun.

a)

True

b)

False

48.

One of the few dark areas on the Moon's far side is named:

a)

Apollo crater

b)

the Sea of Moscow

c)

Korolev crater

49.

49. Landed and explored Gale Crater

a)

Phoenix

b)

Curiosity

c)

Opportunity

d)

Perseverance

e)

Spirit

50.

System of 4 Gas Giants orbiting an F-type star. The discovery of these planets were announced/confirmed in 2008-2010. The planets were discovered using Direct Imaging.

a)

HR 8799

b)

Kepler 138

c)

K2-18b

d)

K2-33b

e)

TOI-561

51.

Who discovered the first asteroid?

a)

Fabio Caruso

b)

Giuseppe Piazzi

c)

Leonardo de Vinci

d)

Galileo Galilei

52.

Jupiter has roughly twice as many known moons as Saturn.

a)

True

b)

False

53.

Which of the following NASA missions performed a close-up study and sample return from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu?

a)

OSIRIS-REx

b)

Rosetta

c)

Cassini

d)

Galileo

54.

What is the approximate diameter of a K-T Impactor?

a)

0.1km

b)

1km

c)

10km

d)

100km

55.

Scientists believe that all of the terrestrial planets have iron cores.

a)

True

b)

False

56.

If the Sun were to instantly disappear, how long would it take for us to notice on Earth?

a)

Instantly

b)

10 seconds

c)

3 minutes

d)

8 minutes

57.

A type of Venusian volcanic structure that is not present on Earth.

a)

Olympus Mons

b)

Pancake dome

c)

Oxygen

d)

Batholith

e)

Kuiper Belt

58.

What shape best describes the orbit of this object?

a)

Ellipse

b)

Hyperbola

c)

Circle

d)

Parabola

59.

Moonquakes are caused by tectonic activity.

a)

True

b)

False

60.

Kirkwood Gaps

a)

Jupiter

b)

Oort Cloud

c)

Asteroid Belt

d)

Europa

e)

Sun

61.

What happens when a protostar becomes a "true" star?

a)

The core of the star reaches 1 million K.

b)

Stellar winds and jets eject material outward from the central region.

c)

Nuclear Fusion begins in the core.

d)

A certain amount of thermal energy is confined in the center of the star.

62.

Why would global temperature drop if the Earth was struck by an asteroid several km in diameter or larger?

a)

The impact would move the Earth farther from the Sun

b)

The dust from the impact would block the light from the Sun

c)

The low temperature of the asteroid would chill the oceans

d)

The ices in the asteroid would increase the Earth's albedo.

63.

TOI-700 is a red giant in the Dorado Constellation discovered by TESS.

a)

True

b)

False

64.

The Earth's moon is the ________ largest moon in our solar system.

a)

third

b)

fourth

c)

fifth

d)

sixth

65.

Which spacecraft was the first to land on an asteroid and collect samples?

a)

Kazabuya

b)

Hayabusa

c)

Kazakaya

d)

Yasainosekai

e)

Yakuzaga

66.

A satellite is considered a projectile.

a)

True

b)

False

67.

Voyager 1 is the first spacecraft to cross the above-mentioned interface (the Heliopause) between the extent of the solar wind and the interstellar medium. The Oort cloud is located ________ than the interface between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.

a)

Closer

b)

Further

68.

The name of the famous astronomer that came up with Kepler's laws of planetary motion is Jonathan Kepler.

a)

True

b)

False

69.

What star has a right ascension of 19h 50m and +09 degrees?

a)

Algol

b)

Aquila

c)

Spica

d)

Procyon

70.

Which spacecraft found Jupiter's rings?

a)

New Horizons

b)

Juno

c)

Voyager 1

d)

Magellan

e)

Voyager 2

71.

How old is 101955 Bennu?

a)

4.5 billion years

b)

2.3 billion years

c)

9.8 billion years

d)

6.4 billion years

72.

Eris is included in which class of objects?

a)

Asteroid

b)

Comet

c)

Trojan

d)

Trans-Neptunian Object

73.

The law of equal areas is Kepler's 3rd law.

a)

True

b)

False

74.

An area that separates terrestrial planets from outer planets is referred to as the ________

a)

Kuiper belt

b)

Oort belt

c)

Asteroid belt

d)

Terrestrial belt

75.

The closest dwarf planet to Earth.

a)

Asteroid belt

b)

Albedo

c)

Charon

d)

Dawn

e)

Ceres

76.

Which of these is the star that's closest to Earth (besides the Sun)?

a)

Proxima-Centauri

b)

67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

c)

101955 Bennu

d)

Kepler-186

e)

TOI-700

77.

Why does the Phoenix spacecraft need a really powerful scoop in its robotic arm?

a)

Because it is trying to break through solid metals

b)

Because it is trying to break through permafrost

c)

Because it wants to hold its sample in tightly

d)

Because it needs to make sure it can collect enough sample before the arm is permanently broken

78.

Earth and the Sun were formed from materials within the same cloud of interstellar matter.

a)

True

b)

False

79.

The dark region of a sunspot is often surrounded by a less dark region called the

a)

granule

b)

penumbra

c)

spicule

d)

umbra

80.

The beginning of which stage of stellar evolution is marked by the "helium flash"?

a)

Contracting Protostar

b)

Main Sequence

c)

Red Giant

d)

Horizontal Branch

e)

Asymptotic Giant Branch

81.

The Trojan group of asteroids in near the orbit of which planet?

a)

Earth

b)

Mars

c)

Jupiter

d)

Saturn

82.

Over the course of a lunar cycle we can see more than 50% of the Moon's surface from the Earth. This is because of a combination of effects which are known as "librations" of the Moon.

a)

True

b)

False

83.

The shape of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko indicates which of the following about its formation?

a)

The abundance of molecular oxygen was initially present at its origin

b)

The interior is differentiated by chemical composition

c)

Loose impact debris became gravitationally bound

d)

Its current form involved a slow collision

84.

Which theory is recognized by scientists as a possible way Mars acquired its moons?

a)

The moons were artificial satellites

b)

The moons were captured from the asteroid belt

c)

The moons formed in orbit at the same time Mars formed

d)

The moons were part of a pre-existing ring system

85.

What type of star system is Procyon?

a)

a. a double star with a faint white dwarf companion

b)

b. a binary star with two massive stars

c)

c. a double star with two faint white dwarf stars

d)

d. a single star

86.

The biggest asteroid known is:

a)

Vesta

b)

Icarus

c)

Ceres

d)

Eros

87.

Select each of the following objects that undergo a complete set of phases when viewed from Earth.

a)

Venus

b)

Mars

c)

Io

d)

The Moon

e)

Ceres

88.

In 2020, an international team led by Dr. Jane Greaves reported the discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of which of the following planets?

a)

Neptune

b)

Jupiter

c)

Venus

d)

Saturn

e)

Uranus

89.

This dwarf planet has a heart shaped glacier on it.

a)

Pluto

b)

Haumea

c)

Makemake

d)

Eris

90.

The lunar maria were formed by

a)

the action of ancient seas

b)

tectonic uplifts

c)

volcanic calderas

d)

lava flows into low areas

91.

Which of these is a follow up to Kepler, designed to look for exoplanets using transit method?

a)

TESS

b)

Chandra

c)

Spitzer

d)

JWST

e)

Hubble

92.

M-type stars are ideal for long-term civilizations in exoplanets as...

a)

They remain active for up to trillions of years

b)

They are highly luminous

c)

They posses great stellar stability

d)

They produce non ionizing EM radiation

e)

They never undergo CME's

93.

The most common gas in the Earth's early atmosphere is thought to have been

a)

oxygen

b)

hydrogen

c)

water

d)

carbon dioxide

94.

Which of the following planets have a rocky, mountainous surface like Earth's?

a)

Mercury, Neptune

b)

Venus, Jupiter

c)

Jupiter, Neptune

d)

Mercury, Mars

95.

What characteristic differentiates between Type I and Type II supernovae?

a)

Type I supernovae always involve a white dwarf

b)

Type I supernovae are much brighter

c)

Type I supernovae have high redshifts

d)

Type II supernovae emit visible light

e)

Type II supernovae show hydrogen in their spectra

96.

What is the diameter of Mars?

a)

4,220 miles

b)

9,999 miles

c)

90 miles

d)

250 miles

97.

Some asteroids are known to cross Earth's orbit.

a)

True

b)

False

98.

The lunar surface is covered by a layer of unconsolidated debris called the lunar regolith. The thickness of the regolith varies from...

a)

5cm to 10cm

b)

5m to 10m

c)

50cm to 1m

d)

50m to 100m

99.

Which of these galaxies produces over 4,000 stars per year?

a)

Big Boy Galaxy

b)

Baby Boom Galaxy

c)

Big Baby Galaxy

d)

Super Mario Galaxy 2

100.

Radial velocity uses the Doppler effect to measure motion of exoplanets around a star.

a)

True

b)

False