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Part I – Solar System
1. What is the order of the planets from closest to the Sun outward?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
2. How is the material that composes inner planets different from the outer planets?
Inner planet – Rocky material, iron and nickel core
Outer Planets – Iron and nickel core, made mainly of gases
3. What planet has the shortest period of revolution? Longest period of revolution?
Mercury (closest to the Sun)
Neptune (further from Sun than other planets)
4. What are significant characteristics of each planet in our solar system?
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
Mercury is smallest of current planets.
It is covered with craters.
Venus, the second planet away from the Sun, is Earth’s closest neighbor.
It is about the same size as the Earth. (Earth’s Twin)
It also traps heat (the greenhouse effect) making the surface of Venus the hottest in the
Solar System
Venus rotates is from west to east
Earth
It differs from the other planets because it has liquid water on its surface, maintains
life, and has active plate movement.
Mars is a little more than half the size of the Earth. It rotates at about the same speed as
the Earth, taking 24.6 hours. Mars has a very thin atmosphere which is composed
largely of CO2. Its surface is very cold, and is covered with craters, volcanoes, and large
canyons. Mars is reddish in color.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System
It rotates very fast, in only 10 hours.
Its surface is made up of gas (mostly hydrogen), so that if you landed on the surface
you would sink into it.
Has gas rings
Large red spot
Saturn is well known for its rings. It is a large planet
Saturn is composed of mostly gas, and has a core composed of rock and metallic
hydrogen. Rings are probably composed of small particles of ice and rock
Uranus. It is covered by a thick layer of gas, and has a fairly uniform blue-green color.
Uranus is surrounded by a system of nine rings. Tilted almost on its side
Neptune. Its atmosphere appears blue and is marked by large dark blue storm systems.
5. What determines how long a planet’s period of revolution will be?
The length of time it takes to orbit the Sun
6. What two particles are found in the region between stars?
Dust and Gases, particularly Hydrogen and Helium
7. Do all planets rotate in the same direction? If not, which ones are different?
No, Venus rotates backwards, going west to east; Uranus’ tilt on its side makes its rotation
different from others
8. Do all planets revolve in the same direction? If not, which ones are different?
Yes
9. How is rotation different from revolution?
Rotation is the spin of an object on its axis; Revolution is an orbit around another object
10. An astronomical unit is the distance from Earth to the Sun. It is used to measure distances in our
solar system. (Sorry I forgot to go over this measurement)
11. How many moons does each planet have?
Mercury: no moons
Venus: no moons
Earth: 1 moon
Mars: 2 moons
Jupiter: 67 moons
Saturn: 62 moons
Uranus: 27 moons
Neptune: 14 moons
12. What does a comet’s tail consist of?
dust and gas and ions
13. A year on a planet would be what?
revolution
14. A day on a planet would be what?
rotation
15. Do we always see the same side of the moon? Explain.
Yes. Because the moon’s rotation and revolution around Earth is almost the same, we never see
the other side of the moon
16. What are the names of Mars’ two moons?
Phobos and Diemos
17. How is the orbit of a planet different from the orbit of a comet?
The comet’s orbit goes out further into the solar system (More elliptical) than the planets.
18. What is in our solar system?
Sun, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, meteoroids
19. What is a moon?
Natural satellite of a planet
20. Does a moon become larger or smaller during its waxing phases? During its waning phases?
Waxing – larger, waning – smaller
21. What are comets?
Objects that orbit the sun that are made of dust and frozen gas. They contain a coma and tail. The
tail always faces away from the Sun
22. What is a meteoroid?
Smaller rocky object orbiting the Sun, thought to be leftover rocky material from when the solar
system was formed
23. What do you call a meteoroid after it hits Earth?
Meteorite
24. What is an eclipse?
Shadow of one object falls on another object when they are is direct 180 degree alignment with
each other
25. Describe what happens during a solar eclipse?
The moon falls between the Earth and Sun, casting a shadow so that the Sun appears to darken
from our viewpoint on Earth. It can only happen during a new moon.
26. Describe what happens during a lunar eclipse?
The Earth falls between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon so the Moon
appears to darken. It can only happen in a full moon.
27. Why is it easier to see many lunar eclipses in your lifetime but not solar eclipse?
The penumbra and umbra are much bigger for a lunar than a solar eclipse, so it increases our
chances of being in that area of Earth where the lunar eclipse can be viewed
28. What keeps planets orbiting around the sun?
The pull of gravity between the Sun and the planets. Because the Sun’s gravity is larger, the
smaller objects orbit around the Sun.
29. What is an axis?
Imaginary line from north to south pole, on which a planet or another object rotates (spins).
30. What type of shape is Earth’s revolution around the sun?
Elliptical
31. How long does it take the Earth to rotate? Revolve around sun?
Rotate – 24 hours; Revolve – 365 ¼ days
32. Why do we have leap year every 4 years?
It makes up for the extra ¼ day of Earth’s revolution to keep our calendar accurate
33. Why do we have seasons on Earth?
Earth’s tilted axis causes the Earth to tilt toward the Sun in hotter months, tilt away from the Sun
in colder months
34. Where does the moon get its light?
Reflected light from the Sun, same for planets
35. Why do we see different phases of the moon?
As the moon orbits the Earth, it creates different angles between Earth, Moon, Sun which creates
different views of the moon’s reflected light for us on Earth
36. When it is a full moon, what is the alignment of Earth, Sun, and Moon?
Earth is in the middle of the Sun and Moon
37. When it is a new moon, what is the alignment of Earth, Sun, and Moon?
The moon is in the middle of the Sun and Earth
38. What is an eclipse?
Same as for question #24
39. How is a solar eclipse different from a lunar eclipse?
Solar eclipse – Moon blocks sunlight from Earth for a temporary time, usually a few minutes
Lunar eclipse – Earth blocks moon’s reflected light for a short time, usually a few hours
40. What is an umbra?
darkest part of the shadow where a total eclipse may be seen
41. What is a penumbra?
larger part of the shadow where a partial eclipse may be seen
42. What will be the alignment of Earth, Sun, and Moon in a solar eclipse?
Sun – Moon – Earth
43. What will be the alignment of Earth, Sun, and Moon in a lunar eclipse?
Sun – Earth – Moon
44. What is a tide?
rise and fall of the ocean’s water
45. What causes tides?
The pull of the gravity between Earth and Moon
46. What is a spring tide?
It happens at a new moon. It is when there is the most difference in high and low tides because a
stronger gravitational pull.
47. What is a neap tide?
It happens at a first and last quarter moon. Gravity is pulling between the Earth and Moon and
Sun at a 90 degree angle, so not as much gravitation pull. There is less difference between high
and low tides.
48. If you are a surfer, what tide would you want to make sure you didn’t miss? Why?
Spring Tide – bigger waves due to stronger gravitational pull
49. Draw a picture of the Sun and label its parts:
50. Which three parts of the sun is part of the Sun’s atmosphere? Which one reaches further out into
space?
Corona – reaches out further; Chromosphere, Photosphere
51. What part of the sun is where energy is made? Core
52. What part of the sun has gases rising and sinking and helps to get energy out to the surface of the
sun? Convection Zone
53. What part of the sun is so thick that it takes millions of years for light to pass through it?
Radiation Zone
54. What is the name of the sun’s surface? Photosphere
55. What is a solar wind?
A stream of plasma that reaches deep out into the solar system; can cause disturbances in
weather, technology signals, and could harm astronauts in space if they come in direct contact
with it
56. What is a sunspot? Magnetic disturbance on Sun – appears as dark spots on the surface
57. What is a solar flare? Giant storm of gases that shoot out beyond the Sun, usually out of a
sunspot; caused by magnetic disturbance
58. What is a solar prominence? Caused by magnetic disturbance, eruption of gases that extend out
from a sun spot and loop to go back into another sun spot.
59. What percentage of the solar system composes our sun? approximately 99.8%