Solar System Test

Which term best describes the shape of the orbits of planets in our solar system?

A circular B. elliptical C. spherical D.centripital

What is a gas giant?

A. A large, red supergiant star B. A cloud in space made of gas and dust C. A planet that has a deep, massive atmosphere D. A rock from space that reaches the Earth's surface without burning up

Which of the following is a small, irregularly shaped body made of rock that orbits the Earth?

A. Comet B. Meteor C. Asteroid D. Meteorite

Which terrestrial planets have diameters that are nearly equal in size?

A. Earth and Mars B. Mars and Venus C. Earth and Venus D. Mars and Mercury

Which of the following is a list of gas giants planets?

A. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune B. Earth, Mars, and Venus C. Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter D. Earth, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn

What is the order of the distances of the terrestrial planets from the Sun, from farthest to closest?

A. Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury B. Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury C. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars D. Venus, Earth, Mars, Mercury

Select the correct term from the following list and place it in the correct circle. Bubble in the words letter on the scantron for that number.

A. Milky Way B. Local Group C. The solar system

1. What is the name of the four largest moons that orbit Jupiter?

A. Oort Cloud B. Kepler's moon C. Galilean moons D. Copernican moons

Study the Diagram Which scientist was the first to support this concept of the solar system?

A. Ptolemy B. Aristotle C. Aristarchus D. Copernicus

The object shown here is composed of rock, dust, water, ice, and other frozen substances. Which object is shown?

A. a comet B. a meteor C. an asteroid D. a meteorite

People sometimes talk about seeing shooting stars. What do they actually see?

A. a meteoroid traveling through space B. a star that is moving through the galaxy C. a meteoroid that burns up in Earth's atmosphere D. a comet that has come close enough to Earth's atmosphere to be seen

The sun is made up of different elements. Which element makes up more than 70 percent of the sun?

A. carbon B. helium C. oxygen D. hydrogen

Johannes Kepler mathematically determined the motion of our planets in our solar system. He stated those results in his laws of planetary motion. According to these laws, how do planets move in our solar system?

A. circular orbits around the Earth B. Elliptical orbits around the Earth C. Circular orbits around the Sun D. Elliptical orbits around the Sun

In which model of the solar system does the sun revolve around the Earth?

A. geocentric model B. heliocentric model C. Copernican model D. Aristarchan model

The solar system is part of a galaxy. A galaxy contains stars, gas, and dust. This matter must be held together of the galaxy will break apart. What is responsible for holding the stars, gas and dust together in a galaxy?

A. heat B. light C. gravity D. friction

Which of these elements make up about 25% of the mass of the sun?

A. helium B. hydrogen C. neon D. silicon

The diagram below shows several objects in space. Which of these choices best identifies what the diagram shows?

A. location of comets B. geocentric star system C. heliocentric solar system D. galaxy that is nearest to Earth

Earth, shown below, is a terrestrial planet. Which of the following statements best describes the characteristics of the terrestrial planets?

A. small, dense, rocky surfaces B. large planetary rings, many moons C. rocky cores, close to sun, surface craters D. made up of hydrogen and helium; small; close to sun