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Questions and Answers
Which is the smallest planet in our solar system?
What is the temperature range on Mercury's surface?
How long does it take for Mercury to complete one orbit around the Sun?
Which planet is frequently referred to as the hottest in the solar system?
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What phenomenon prevents Venus from being easily observed up close?
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What is unique about Venus compared to other planets in the solar system?
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How long is a day on Venus compared to its year?
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What feature is noted about Mercury's surface appearance?
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How long is a year on Venus in Earth days?
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What is the duration from one sunrise to the next on Venus?
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What planet is known as the 'Red Planet'?
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Why is Earth’s calendar adjusted with a leap year?
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What is the tilt of Earth's axis relative to its orbit around the sun?
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What causes the rust color on Mars?
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Which of the following features is NOT found on Mars?
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What significant event related to Venus occurred in the year 2012?
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Who discovered Uranus and in what year?
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What is unique about Uranus's rotation compared to most other planets?
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How long does it take for Uranus to complete one orbit around the Sun?
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What is the primary composition of Neptune's atmosphere that gives it its blue color?
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What is the primary reason Uranus has the coldest atmosphere of any planet in the solar system?
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What method was used to locate Neptune?
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Which of the following describes the rings of Uranus?
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Which characteristic distinguishes Neptune from Uranus?
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What is the primary reason Neptune is named after a Roman god?
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How long does one complete orbit of Neptune around the Sun take in Earth years?
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What unusual feature do Neptune's rings have?
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What is the axial tilt of Neptune compared to the plane of its orbit?
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What is the main characteristic of the Kuiper Belt?
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Where is the Oort Cloud located?
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What phenomenon occurs when a star collapses in on itself?
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What common misconception about black holes is often held?
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How high is Olympus Mons compared to Mount Everest?
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What is the depth of the Valles Marineris system?
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How long is a year on Mars compared to Earth?
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How long does it take for Mars to complete one rotation on its axis?
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Who was the first person to observe Mars with a telescope?
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What is the significance of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter?
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How long does a day on Jupiter last?
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What are Jupiter's rings primarily composed of?
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Study Notes
Mercury
- Smallest planet in our solar system
- Slightly larger than Earth’s moon
- Appears three times larger from Mercury than Earth
- Sunlight seven times brighter from Mercury
- Spins slowly on its axis, one rotation every 59 Earth days
- Named after the Roman god of travel
- Surface temperatures extremely hot and cold
- Daytime temperatures can reach 800°F (430°C)
- Nighttime temperatures can dip as low as -290°F (-180°C)
- Not the hottest planet, Venus is, due to its dense atmosphere
- Fastest planet, orbits the Sun every 88 Earth days
- Surface resembles Earth’s moon, scarred by impact craters
- Most of the surface appears greyish-brown
- Bright streaks called “crater rays”
Venus
- Second planet from the sun, the hottest and brightest planet in the solar system
- Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, the only planet named after a female
- Often mistaken for two different stars in ancient times, the evening and morning stars
- Difficult to observe closely, spacecraft do not survive long on its surface
- Similar size, mass, density, composition, and gravity to Earth
- Slightly smaller than Earth, with a mass of about 80% of Earth’s
- Rotates on its axis in 243 Earth days, the slowest of any of the major planets
- Day is longer than its year
- Venusian year is about 225 Earth days
- Retrograde rotation (clockwise), makes the time from one sunrise to the next only 117 Earth days long
- Last transit in front of the sun was in 2012, next in will be in 2117
Earth
- Third planet from the sun, only known place to host life
- Orbits the sun every 365.25 days
- Rotates on its axis every 23.9 hours, defining day and night
- Axis of rotation is tilted 23.4 degrees, causing seasons
Mars
- Fourth planet from the sun, rusty red appearance
- Cold, desert world, thin atmosphere
- Named after the Roman god of war
- Rust color due to iron-rich minerals in its regolith
- Home to the highest mountain and deepest, longest valley in the solar system
- Olympus Mons, 17 miles (27 kilometers) high
- Valles Marineris, 6 miles (10 km) deep, 2,500 miles (4,000 km) long
- Longer year than Earth, 687 days compared to 365
- Similar day lengths to Earth, 24 hours and 40 minutes for Mars
- Tilted axis, causing seasons similar to Earth
Jupiter
- Largest planet in the solar system, fifth planet from the sun
- Gas giant, stormy enigma shrouded in colorful clouds
- Most famous storm: The Great Red Spot, twice the width of Earth
- Does not have a solid surface, spacecraft cannot land or fly through unscathed
- Shortest day in the solar system
- One day (rotation) takes about 10 hours
- One year (orbit) takes about 12 Earth years (4,333 Earth days)
- Between 80 to 95 moons
- Four largest moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) observed by Galileo Galilei in 1610 – known as the Galilean satellites
- Has faint dust rings
Uranus
- First planet found with the aid of a telescope, discovered in 1781 by William Herschel
- Coldest atmosphere of any planet, little internal heat
- One day takes about 17 hours
- One year takes about 84 Earth years (30,687 Earth days)
- Rotates in the opposite direction to most planets (east to west), like Venus
- Named after the Greek god of the sky
- Two sets of rings:
- Inner system of nine narrow, dark grey rings
- Two outer rings: innermost is reddish, outermost is blue
Neptune
- Eighth and most distant major planet
- Dark, cold, supersonic winds
- More than 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, not visible to the naked eye
- Completed its first 165-year orbit in 2011
- Blue color comes from methane in its atmosphere
- First planet located through mathematical calculations by Urbain Le Verrier
- Observed by Johann Galle in 1846
- Named after the Roman god of the sea
- Unusual rings, bright thick dust clumps called arcs
- Five rings: Galle, Leverrier, Lassell, Arago, and Adams
- One day takes about 16 hours
- One year takes about 165 Earth years (60,190 Earth days)
- Axis tilted 28 degrees, causes seasons
- Each season lasts over 40 years
Asteroid Belt
- Bits and pieces of rock left over from the dawn of the solar system
- Most of these planetoids or asteroids orbit between Mars and Jupiter
- Known as the main asteroid belt
Kuiper Belt
- Doughnut-shaped region of icy objects beyond Neptune’s orbit
- Home to Pluto and most known dwarf planets
- Some comets
Oort Cloud
- Shell of icy bodies that surrounds the solar system
- Begins beyond the Kuiper Belt, beyond the sun’s magnetic field, in interstellar space
- Source of most long-period comets
- No object has been observed in the Oort Cloud, it remains a theoretical concept
Black Holes
- Strange and fascinating objects in space
- Extremely dense, with strong gravitational attraction that not even light can escape
- Formed when stars collapse and die
- Stars run out of fuel, mass flows into the core, gravitational force becomes too heavy, the core collapses, and a supernova occurs
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Description
Explore the unique characteristics of Mercury and Venus, the two closest planets to the Sun. Discover Mercury's extreme temperatures and rotation, alongside Venus's status as the hottest planet and its historical significance. Test your knowledge of these fascinating celestial bodies.
