Science Test Solar System
Think Critically Would a year on the planet Neptune be longer or shorter than an earth year? Explain.
A year on Neptune would be longer than a year on Earth because it is an outer planet which means it takes a longer time to rotate the sun because the gravitational pull is not as strong farther away fromt the sun.
Explain how the planets in the solar system formed.
Before the solar system was formed it was just a cloud of gas ice and dust. A nearby star exploded that started to create shockwaves. These shockwaves started to make the cloud contract. Gravity started to pull matter into the cloud, and as the cloud contracted it got hotter and hotter. That is the how the sun was formed. The leftover matter that was not used to create the sun was made for the planets.
Infer why life is unlikely on the outer planets in spite of the presence of water, methane, and ammonia— materials needed for life to develop.
Even though all of the necessary substances are there for life to live on the outer planets, there is no atmosphere on the outer planets and little to no atmosphere.
Infer why life is unlikely on Venus.
Life is unlikely on Venus because of the intense heats on it. Also the greenhouse effect is similar to Earth's but a lot more intense. The greenhouse effect is what causes the intense heats on Venus.
Think Critically Aside from Earth, which inner planet could humans visit most easily? Explain.
Mars is the planet that could most likely be inhabitable. It has channels that has shown to be carved out by water. There atmosphere is made out of carbon dioxide, even though there is an atmosphere it is very thin. However because there is an atmosphere the temperatures are not as drastic as Venus or Mercury.
List important characteristics for each inner planet.
Mercury It is the closest planet to the sun There is no atmosphere so really drastic temperatures Venus Thick atmosphere Greenhouse effect causes drastic temperatures Earth Perfectly thick atmosphere Surface temperature allows water to be there Only life on a planet known Mars Closest mirror of the atmosphere to Earth Could possibly have running water Temperatures aren't as drastic because of thin atmosphere
1. Describe the Sun-centered model of the solar system. What holds the solar system together?
The Sun-centered model of the solar system shows the different au of all of the planets. It shows where sun is compared to the planets. It's not exact but it also shows the size of the planets compared to the other planets. It shows all of the planets in order and in a scaled distance from one to another. Gravity is what holds the solar system together, not only is it gravity it is the sun's gravity, and since the planets orbit around the sun, it's what keeps the solar system together.
Identify the inner planet that is farthest from the Sun. Identify the one that is closest to the Sun.
The inner planet that is closest to the sun is Mercury. The inner planet that is farthest from the sun is Mars.
What is the inverse square law?
The inverse square law is that something diminishes in intensity whether it be light or gravity at the square of the distance. I = 1/distance2
List two reasons why the outer planets take longer to orbit the Sun than the inner planets do.
The planets farther away from the sun take longer to orbit the sun because of the longer orbital period and the gravitational pull is not as strong farther away from the sun.
Explain why Mercury's surface temperature varies so much from day to night.
The reason the temperature varies is for two reasons, the first is that it is so close to the sun, so of course it will get really hot. The other is that there is no atmosphere protecting it from the sun's rays.
Why do the outer solar system planets have more moons?
They have bigger gravity fields
