Ch. 2 - The Solar System Worksheet Lukas Purgar
How much larger is Uranus than Earth?
Uranus is four times (4x) the diameter of Earth.
How is the rotation of Uranus unlike that of most other planets?
Uranus rotates on its axis top to bottom instead of side to side.
What is the composition of the atmospheres of the gas giants?
75% hydrogen, 24% helium and 1% other elements. They have a strong gravitational force.
Where is the asteroid belt?
Between Mars and Jupiter
What are the three "Goldilocks conditions" on Earth that life as we know it needs to exist.
Breathable Atmosphere, Temperature Rate, and Liquid Water
How does a comet's tail form?
Gas and dust form it from solar wind.
What made astronomer William Herschel famous in 1781?
He discovered Uranus, the first new planet since ancient times.
What are Saturn's rings made of?
Ice and rock orbiting Saturn.
What suggests that there might be liquid water on Europa?
Ice on eurpoa is doing things that ice on Earth does.
What are Uranus's five largest moons like?
Icy and cratered on the surface.
What are Jupiter's four largest moons?
Io, Callisto, Ganymende, Europa
What happened when an asteroid collided with Earth 65 million years ago?
It killed the plants and animals on Earth, including the dinosaurs.
Why does Uranus look bluish?
It looks blue-green because there are traces of methane in its atmosphere
Which four planets are known as the gas giants?
Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn.
Name the five outer planets according to their place in the solar system after the Sun and the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars...
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pulto
Why is Mars the most obvious place to look for living things like those on Earth?
Mars is the most similar planet to Earth.
Why do some astronomers think Pluto should not be called a planet?
Pluto is very small and considered a dwarf planet.
In the 1800's, why did astronomers predict that the planet Neptune would be discovered well before anyone had seen it?
Something was making Uranus' orbit around the sun different.
Why don't astronomers know much about Pluto and Charon?
They are really far away and small.
Why don't astronomers know much about the cores of the gas giants?
They can't send anything inside of the planets, because it would get crushed.
Why do scientists hypothesize that Mars may once have had the conditions needed for life to exist?
They've found a rock that looks like a fossil and there was once water on Mars.
