Solar System Overview
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Questions and Answers

What is the definition of a planet in our solar system?

  • A star that produces light and heat.
  • An artificial satellite created by humans.
  • A natural object that orbits the sun and has its own orbit. (correct)
  • A celestial body that does not have an orbit.

    • What is the nearest distance to the nearest stars from Earth?

  • 40 trillion km (correct)
  • 40 million km
  • 400 trillion km
  • 4 trillion km

    • What is the average duration an astronaut stays in space?

  • 300 days
  • 215 days (correct)
  • 400 days
  • 150 days

    • Why is it important to question the evidence we have about the solar system?

    <p>To understand planetary orbits and behaviors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterizes a star?

    <p>A ball of hot gas that produces light.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many planets are there in our solar system?

    <p>8</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a terrestrial planet?

    <p>Jupiter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to tears in space?

    <p>They do not fall due to the lack of gravity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the high tide on the side of the Earth closest to the Moon?

    <p>The greater force of attraction from the Moon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How are meteoroids and asteroids distinguished from one another?

    <p>By their size</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the name of the visual display caused by a meteoroid burning up in Earth's atmosphere?

    <p>Meteor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where do most asteroids orbit in the solar system?

    <p>Between Mars and Jupiter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a meteorite?

    <p>A part of a meteoroid or asteroid that reaches the ground</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to thousands of meteoroids entering Earth’s upper atmosphere each day?

    <p>They burn up and produce visible meteors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is true about the bulge of water on the opposite side of Earth from the Moon?

    <p>It is caused by the Earth being pulled toward the Moon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How large can asteroids be found in space?

    <p>They can be larger than 10 km across</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What primarily causes day and night on Earth?

    <p>The rotation of Earth on its axis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement accurately describes summer in a given hemisphere?

    <p>The Sun's rays strike the Earth more directly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the duration of the Moon's orbit around Earth?

    <p>29 days</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What phenomenon occurs when the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon?

    <p>Lunar eclipse</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tilt of Earth's axis in relation to its orbital path?

    <p>23.5°</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes the appearance of a crescent moon?

    <p>Less than half of the moon is illuminated</p> Signup and view all the answers

    During which season does a hemisphere experience the Sun’s rays striking more directly?

    <p>Summer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the change in the Moon's phases?

    <p>The orientation of the Moon's surface towards the Sun</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of eclipse can only occur when the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun during the full Moon phase?

    <p>Lunar eclipse</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens during a total lunar eclipse?

    <p>The Moon passes through Earth's shadow completely.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What primary components make up comets?

    <p>Ice, rock, dust, and frozen gases</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What phenomenon occurs when a comet approaches the Sun?

    <p>Gases and dust form a coma and tails</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the tail of a comet to point away from the Sun?

    <p>Radiation pressure and solar wind</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the typical size of a comet's nucleus?

    <p>Less than 20 km in diameter</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What determines which constellations are visible in the night sky?

    <p>The time of year and observer's location</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the tail of a comet primarily composed of?

    <p>Ionized particles and reflective dust</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to most comets as they move through space?

    <p>They may break apart into smaller pieces</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why might many comets be difficult to see?

    <p>They are often too small or faint</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes the Moon to look red during a solar eclipse?

    <p>Scattering of the sun’s rays in the atmosphere</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When can a solar eclipse occur?

    <p>When the Moon is between the Sun and Earth during a new moon</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason why the Moon has a larger effect on tides compared to the Sun?

    <p>The Moon is closer to Earth than the Sun</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How often do total solar eclipses occur at any given location?

    <p>Once every 500 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many high and low tides occur per day on Earth?

    <p>Two high tides and two low tides</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens during a partial lunar eclipse?

    <p>Only part of the Moon passes through the complete shadow</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What results when a solar eclipse occurs while the Moon is farthest from Earth?

    <p>An annular solar eclipse</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is the gravitational force between the Sun and Earth significantly greater than between Earth and the Moon?

    <p>The mass of the Sun is much greater</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many eclipses typically occur each year?

    <p>Four to seven eclipses</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What effect does the gravitational force of the Moon have on Earth?

    <p>It influences the tides</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Solar System Overview

    • The sun is 150 million km away from Earth.
    • It would take 19 years to reach the sun on a jumbo jet.
    • Stars are 40 trillion km away from Earth.
    • One light year is 9 trillion km away.
    • It would take 300 days to get to Mars.
    • Astronauts stay in space for about 215 days.
    • Space is completely silent.
    • Tears do not fall in space because of the lack of gravity.
    • The solar system is made up of a star and the objects orbiting it.
    • Our solar system includes the sun, planets, moons, rings, comets, asteroids, meteoroids, and dust.
    • A star is a ball of hot gas that produces light.
    • Planets are natural objects that orbit the sun and have their own orbit.
    • There are 8 planets in our solar system: 4 terrestrial and 4 gas giants.
    • Terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
    • Gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
    • Dwarf planets do not have their own orbit.
    • Pluto is a dwarf planet.
    • Other examples of Dwarf planets include Eris and Ceres.
    • There are probably more dwarf planets that haven't been discovered yet.
    • The ancient Greeks believed Earth was at the center of the universe and that stars revolved around it.

    Earth's Motion and The Moon

    • Earth’s day and night are caused by the rotation of Earth on its axis.
    • A complete Earth rotation takes 24 hours.
    • Sunlight strikes the surface of Earth facing the sun during daylight hours.
    • During nighttime hours, the surface is facing away from the sun.
    • A complete orbit around the sun takes 365.25 days.
    • Earth is tilted on its axis at 23.5° to its orbital path.
    • The tilt causes the Northern and Southern hemispheres to be tilted towards or away from the sun at different times of the year.
    • During summer, a hemisphere is pointed towards the sun, which creates a more direct angle of sunlight.
    • During winter, a hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, creating a less direct angle of sunlight.
    • The sun’s rays strike equally during spring and fall.
    • Newfoundland and Labrador receives more than five times as much solar energy during the longest days of summer as during the shortest days of winter.
    • The moon's appearance changes as it orbits Earth.
    • The moon orbits earth in 29 days.
    • The moon is on a lunar cycle.
    • The moon is rotating on its axis at the same rate that it is orbiting Earth.
    • Crescent: a phase where less than half the moon is illuminated.
    • Gibbous: a phase where more than half the moon is illuminated.

    Eclipses

    • Eclipses happen when Earth is between the Sun and the Moon or when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun.
    • A Lunar eclipse happens when all or part of the moon moves through the shadow cast by Earth.
    • When an object blocks light from an extended light source, it creates both a complete and partial shadow.
    • A total lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves completely behind Earth and no sunlight can directly strike it.
    • A partial lunar eclipse happens when part of the moon passes through the complete shadow.
    • During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow on earth.
    • A solar eclipse can only happen when the Moon is on the same side of Earth as the sun during the new Moon phase.
    • Because the moon is smaller than Earth, its shadow only covers a small portion of Earth’s surface.
    • When the moon is furthest from Earth, the moon's shadow doesn't completely cover the Sun, resulting in a ring of light around the moon.
    • When the moon is closer to Earth, the complete shadow covers the Sun and creates a total Solar eclipse.
    • A Total solar eclipse only happens every 500 years for any given location.
    • There are 4 to 7 eclipses each year but every lunar eclipse can be seen by people on one side of Earth while solar eclipses are only viewed by people in the path of the shadow.

    Tides

    • Gravity is a fundamental force exerted by all masses.
    • Gravity weakens with distance.
    • The sun's gravitational force on earth is 179 times greater than the moon's gravitational force but the moon has a bigger impact on tides due to its closer distance.
    • Tides are caused by the interactions between Earth's rotational and orbital motion and the gravitational forces of the moon and sun.
    • There are two high tides and two low tides every day, usually at different times.
    • The side closest to the moon has a stronger gravitation force, pulling the ocean water towards it, creating a high tide.
    • The opposite side also experiences a high tide due to a weaker gravitational pull from the moon.
    • The earth also experiences a pull towards the moon.

    Meteoroids, Asteroids and Comets

    • Asteroids and meteoroids are rocky or metallic objects found in the inner solar system.
    • They aren't typically round.
    • Meteoroids are less than 1m across, while asteroids are larger.
    • Most asteroids orbit the sun in the region between Mars and Jupiter.
    • Thousands of meteoroids hit Earth's upper atmosphere each day.
    • When a meteoroid or asteroid enters Earth's atmosphere, it burns up and creates a visual display called a meteor.
    • A meteorite is any part of a meteoroid or asteroid that reaches the ground.
    • A large asteroid has been suspected to have wiped out the non-bird dinosaurs.
    • Shooting stars are small lumps of space rock falling to Earth.
    • Comets are small objects that orbit the Sun.
    • Comets are composed of rock, dust, ice, and frozen gases.
    • When comets approach the Sun, they heat up causing gases and dust to float off, forming a coma.
    • Comets can have gas tails and dust tails that point away from the Sun.
    • The gas tail is made of charged particles and the dust tail is made of rock and dust particles.
    • While comet nuclei are small, some comas can stretch for millions of kilometers.
    • Comets with large tails are sometimes visible with the naked eye.

    Constellations

    • Constellations are recognizable patterns of stars that have been given names.
    • Constellations are often associated with figures.
    • The constellations that are visible in the night sky depend on the time of year and the viewer’s location on Earth.

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    Description

    Explore the fascinating facts of our solar system in this overview quiz. Learn about the distances of planets, characteristics of stars, and the differences between terrestrial and gas giant planets. Test your knowledge on the components that make up our cosmic neighborhood!

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