The Solar System
What is the name of Mercury's largest crater?
Caloris Basin
What is the main chemical (95%) in Venus' atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide
What is the most well-known space probe to visit and take pictures of Saturn? It is still in use today.
Cassini-Huygens
Name five major dwarf planets or TNO's (Trans-Neptunian-Objects) in the Kuiper Belt.
Ceres, Pluto, Eris, Makemake and Haumea
Which Galilean moon is covered in a giant, icy ocean of water?
Europa
Which Galilean moon is the largest?
Ganymede
Which two moons are larger than the planet Mercury?
Ganymede and Titan
What still-unexplained feature is at Saturn's north pole?
Hexagonal cloud pattern
What are Saturn's rings made of?
Ice
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Mercury
List the planets that have no moons.
Mercury and Venus
Does Mercury have a moon?
No
Does Mars have water on it? If so, where?
North and south poles there is ice
What is different about Uranus' rotational axis?
Tilted 98 degrees
What is Saturn's largest moon? What is significant about it, besides its size?
Titan
Name two moons that have significant atmospheres.
Titan and Triton
What is Neptune's largest moon?
Triton
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Venus
What is the hottest planet in the solar system? Why?
Venus, atmosphere
What is the name of the NASA mission to explore the Kuiper Belt region? When will it arrive?
2019, New Horizons
How many moons does Jupiter have?
63
How many years does it take Uranus to go around the Sun?
84 Earth years
What is unique about Neptune's discovery?
Accidental
Who studied the Green House Effect on Venus and was the first to suggest it happens on Earth too?
Andrew Ingersoll
What is the Great Red Spot?
Anticyclonic storm on Jupiter
How far away is the Kuiper Belt from the Sun?
Inner edge is 30 AU, outer edge 50 AU
Which Galilean moon is extremely volcanically active?
Io
Which moon is covered in intense volcanic activity?
Io
Name Jupiter's four "Galilean" moons.
Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
List all four of Jupiter's Galilean Moons by name
Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto
Why is Mars red?
Iron
What is the biggest planet in the solar system?
Jupiter
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Jupiter
What is the smallest planet (not dwarf planet!) in the solar system?
Mercury
List all the planets that have rings.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
List the four "gas giants", or "Jovian" planets, in order from the Sun.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Why is this planet named for Jupiter, King of the gods?
Largest planet
What is Venus the Roman goddess of? Why was the planet named for her?
Love, fertility
♂
Mars
The asteroid belt lies between which two planets?
Mars and Jupiter
List the four "terrestrial" planets, in order from the Sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
What is the most recent NASA mission sent to Mercury?
Messenger
Who is the roman god Mercury and why was the planet named for him?
Messenger god, swiftest
Which one of Saturn's moons looks like the Death Star?
Mimas
Jupiter has a great Red Spot. Which planet has a great blue spot, which is also a massive storm?
Neptune
Which planet has the fastest wind speeds in the solar system?
Neptune
What is the tallest mountain/dormant volcano on Mars, which is the tallest in the solar system?
Olympus Mons
What is the name of the current NASA rover that is exploring Mars right now?
Opportunity
Why are the dwarf planets in this belt not considered "legit" planets
Orbits don't clear the neighborhood
What are the names of Mars' two moons?
Phobos and Deimos
Name any space probe that has studied Jupiter.
Pioneer 11 and 12, Voyagers I and II, and Cassini-Huygens
Why was Mars named after the god of War?
Red color
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Saturn
How is Saturn related to Jupiter in Roman mythology?
Saturn is Jupiter's dad
What is the naming theme for Uranus' moons?
Shakespeare characters
How is Uranus related to Saturn and Jupiter in Roman mythology?
Son of Jupiter
What is the dark blue spot on Neptune?
Storm, winds
What is Neptune the god of? Why is this appropriate for the planet?
The sea, blue color
How many moons does Mars have, and what is the significance of their names?
Two, Deimos (fear) and Phobos (fright)
Is there evidence that Mars had liquid water on it at some point?
Underneath the ice
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Uranus
What is the only NASA space probe to observe Uranus up close?
Voyager 2
Does Jupiter have rings?
Yes
Does Neptune have rings?
Yes
Does Uranus have rings?
Yes
Draw the symbol for Neptune.
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