Download Solar System Test Review - Garnet Valley School District

Name ____________________________________________ Period _______ Date __________
Earth and Space Science
Solar System Review
1. _________________________ is the spinning a planetary object on its axis.
2. _________________________ is the backward motion of planets.
3. The _________________________ is a unit less number between 0 and 1 that describes the
elliptical shape of an orbit.
4. The _________________________is the orbital point at which the planet is farthest from the
sun.
5. A planet travels at different speeds at different locations in its orbit. The closer a planet is to
the sun, the greater the _________________________.
6. _________________________is the force of attraction that exists between all objects in the
universe.
7. The moon revolves around Earth in _________________________. This causes the moon to
rise (and set) approximately _________________________later each day.
8. A _________________________occurs when the moon passes through the earth’s shadow. It
may only occur during a _________________________ phase.
9. Eclipses are rare because the moon’s orbital plane is _________________________from the
Earth’s orbital plane.
10. _________________________ is the movement of an object around another, i.e., the earth
going around the sun or the moon going around the earth.
11. The _________________________ states the sun, earth and other objects in the solar
system formed from a rotating cloud of gas, called a nebula, about 4.5 billion years ago.
12. The _________________________ is the orbital point at which the planet is closest to the
sun
13. The _________________________ model of the solar system, developed by the ancient
Greeks, states the sun, moon, and known planets are in circular orbit around earth.
14. In Kepler’s _______________ law, each planet revolves so that an imaginary line connecting
it to the sun sweeps over _________________________in equal time intervals.
15. The greater the distance of the planet from the sun, the _________________________the
amount of time it will take the planet to orbit the sun.
16. The cycle of moon phases takes _________________________ (lunar month). The
_________________________ observed depends on the moon’s location in its orbit.
17. A _________________________ occurs when the moon passes directly between the earth
and the sun. The moon casts a shadow on the earth. It may only occur during a
_________________________ phase.
18. The _________________________model of the solar system, developed by astronomer
_________________________, states the earth and the other planets orbit the sun.
19. Kepler’s first law states the planets orbit the sun in a slightly flattened circle, called an
_________________________.
20. A _________________________occurs when the sun is partially blocked out by the moon.
An observer on earth is under the moon’s _________________________.
21. What happens when to the gravitational attraction between two objects when the total mass
of the objects increase?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
22. What happens when to the gravitational attraction between two objects when the distance
between two objects gets closer together?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
23. Why do we see only one side of the moon?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
24. How did the moon form?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
25. What are three common characteristics of the Jovian planets?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_______ 26. The apparent rising and setting of the Sun, as viewed from Earth, is caused by
a.
b.
c.
d.
Earth’s rotation
Earth’s revolution
the Sun’s rotation
the Sun’s revolution
_______ 27. The time required for the Moon to show a complete cycle of phases when viewed
from Earth is approximately
a. 1 day
b. 1 month
c. 1 week
d. 1 year
_______28. The diagram to the right shows the Moon
at four positions in its orbit around Earth.
An observer on Earth could see a solar
eclipse when the Moon is at position
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
_______ 29. The apparent westward movement of a
planet against the background of stars is
called ____.
a. retrograde motion
b. rotation
c. revolution
d. universal gravitation
_______ 30. Earth is closest to the sun at a point called ____.
a. perihelion
b. apogee
c. aphelion
d. precession
_______ 31. The formation of the solar system from a huge cloud of dust and gases is called the
____.
a. protoplanet theory
b. planetesimal theory
c. solar nebular theory
d. giant impact hypothesis
_______ 32. Based on the second law of planetary motion, when would a planet travel fastest in
its orbit?
a. at perihelion
b. at apogee
c. at aphelion
d. at perigee
_______ 33. Compared to Pluto, Mercury moves more rapidly in its orbit because Mercury
a.
b.
c.
d.
is larger
is more dense
is closer to the Sun
has a more elliptical orbit
_______ 34. Which of the following is NOT considered part of the solar system?
a. planets
b. galaxies
c. asteroid belt
d. sun
_______ 35. What occurs when the moon casts its shadow on Earth?
a. lunar eclipse
b. sidereal month
c. solar eclipse
d. synodic month
Kepler’s Laws Practice
36. What is the eccentricity of the ellipse if the distance between the foci is 7.4 cm and the
distance of the major axis is 8.0 cm?
37. Would you describe the eccentricity of the ellipse from problem 36 as a low or high
eccentricity?
38. What is the eccentricity of the ellipse of a planet if the distance between the foci is 0.39 AU
and the distance of the major axis is 1.89 AU?
39. Based on the solar system reference table, the eccentricity of the ellipse from problem 38 is
closest to the eccentricity of the orbit of which planet?
40. The diagram above is a constructed ellipse. F1 and F2 are the foci of the ellipse. What is its
eccentricity?
The diagram below to the right shows a model of a planet’s orbit around a star. Points A, B, C,
and D are four positions of this planet in its orbit.
41. At which position is the planet at aphelion?
________
42. At which position is the planet at perihelion?
________
43. At which position is the planet’s velocity the
greatest? ________
44. At which position is the planet’s velocity the
slowest? ________
45. What would happen to the orbital velocity of the planet as it moves between position A and
C?
46. A planet is 3.5 AU away from a star (a). Using Kepler’s third law ( P  a 3 ) calculate the time
(P) it takes the planet to orbit the star.
47. A planet is 7.4 AU away from a star (a). Using Kepler’s third law ( P  a 3 ) calculate the time
(P) it takes the planet to orbit the star.
48. A planet is 18 AU away from a star (a). Using Kepler’s third law ( P  a 3 ) calculate the time
(P) it takes the planet to orbit the star.
49. The dwarf planet named Eris, has been found nearly 67.94 AU away from the Sun. What is
the time it takes Eris to orbit the Sun?
50. Suppose the Sun were somehow replaced by a star with twice as much mass. What would
happen to the gravitational attraction between the Earth and that star?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
51. Suppose the Earth were moved to one-third of its current distance from the Sun. What would
happen to the gravitational attraction between the Earth and the Sun?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
In each diagram below, the mass of the star is the same.
52. (a) In which diagram is the force of gravity greatest between the star and the planet?
_______
(b) Justify your answer.
53. (a) Is the force of gravity stronger in diagram 1 or 2? _______
(b) Explain your reasoning.
54. (a) Is the force of gravity stronger in diagram 2 or 4? _______
(b) Explain your reasoning.
55. Which graph best represents the relationship between
the gravitational attraction of two objects and their distance
from each other? ___________