Science: Preparing for Quiz 3

The surface temperature of the sun is normally about ________ °F

10,000

The asteroid Ceres is about:

567 miles in diameter

The sun contains about ____ percent of the mass of the solar system.

99

______ is a meteor or meteor fragment that impacts the earth's surface.

A meteorite

The largest known asteroid is called _______.

Ceres

Pluto is always the most distant heavenly body from the sun. True or False?

False

The sun consists mainly of these two gases:

Hydrogen and Helium

Asteroids are usually found orbiting between __________ and __________

Jupiter and Mars

________ on the sun produce x-rays, radio waves, and clouds of atomic particles.

Solar flares

All of the giant planets have "rings" around them. True or False?

True

Atomic particles from the sun in the earth's atmosphere can produce the northern and southern lights. True or False?

True

Many thousands of asteroids occur in the solar system. True or False?

True

Mercury and Venus do not have moons, but all the rest of the planets do. True or False?

True

Planets are objects that orbit the sun and are not moons (or satellites) of another object. True or False?

True

The four planets nearest the sun are called terrestrial (earth-like) planets. True or False?

True

The various kinds of activity on the surface of the sun are called solar activity True or False?

True

Small irregular shaped objects which orbit the sun are called _______.

asteroids

Clumps of dust and gas which revolve around the sun are ______.

comets

Sunspots appear on the sun's surface because the surface temperature in these areas is _________.

cooler

The orbits of comets are usually highly ______.

elongated

The sun is a __________ star

medium-sized

Small pieces of rock or dust that orbit the sun are called _______.

meteoroids

Small bodies which enter the earth's atmosphere and burn up are called _________.

meteors

Energy is produced in the sun through the process of _______.

nuclear fusion

Spectacular eruptions of hot gases from the sun's surface are called __________.

prominences