Science: Solar System Quiz

In 2011 Neptune completed its first _____________ orbit since its discovery in 1846.

165-year

_______________ also has the most moons of any planet and the largest moon

Jupiter

No evidence for life has been found on ______________.

Mercury

_____________ atmosphere is made up mostly of molecular hydrogen, atomic helium and methane.

Neptune's

Mars is known as the ____ Planet because iron minerals in the Martian soil oxidize, or rust, causing the soil and atmosphere to look red.

Red

The ice giant is surrounded by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons as it rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit. This unique tilt makes ____________ appear to spin on its side, orbiting the sun like a rolling ball.

Uranus

_______________ is the seventh planet from the sun and the farthest that you can see without a telescope

Uranus

The farthest planet from Earth discovered by the unaided human eye, Saturn has been known since ancient times and is named for the Roman god of ________________________

agriculture and wealth

Ancient _____________________ knew what they were doing when they named Jupiter after the Roman king of the gods.

astronomers

Although the sun is special to us, there are __________ of stars like our sun scattered across the Milky Way galaxy.

billions

Venus - Second planet from the Sun and our ___________ planetary neighbor

closest

Uranus is very ________ and __________.

cold windy

Although Neptune is even farther from the sun, Uranus is the __________ planet in our solar system.

coldest

Because of dwarf planet Pluto's ____________________ orbit, Pluto is sometimes closer to the Sun (and us) than Neptune is.

elliptical

Uranus is a giant icy ball of _______ and _________, with a solid center

gas liquid

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a ______________________ that's about twice the size of Earth and has raged for over a century.

gigantic storm

All of the planets, except for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. However, the name Earth is an English/German word, which simply means the ____________.

ground

Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of ____________ and ________________.

hydrogen helium

If Jupiter were a person, it might run around chanting "I'm number one! I'm number one!" That's because Jupiter is the _________ planet in our solar system and the one that spins the _____________.

largest fastest

Our atmosphere protects us from incoming ______________ , most of which break up in our atmosphere before they can strike the surface.

meteoroids

Uranus temperature of its atmosphere is ____________ degrees Fahrenheit

minus 350

Neptune is the only planet in our solar system not visible to the ____________________ .

naked eye

If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, the Earth would be the size of a __________.

nickel

The majority of Earth's atmosphere is composed of _____________, 21 percent is _______________ and 1 percent other ingredients—the perfect balance to breathe and live.

nitrogen oxygen

Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is _____ the hottest planet in our solar system—that title belongs to nearby _______—but it is the fastest, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days!

not Venus

Saturn is _______the only planet to have rings—made of _________ and _________—but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's.

not chunks of ice rock

Venus spins slowly in the ______________ direction most planets do.

opposite

Saturn rings are made of billions of ____________________________ and can only be seen with a telescope.

pieces of ice

Mars is a dynamic world that additionally has ___________, ____________,_____________ ___________ and ____________ . Mars' similarities to Earth—and stark differences—make it a prime target for exploration

seasons polar ice caps volcanoes canyons weather

Saturn has ____________ thin rings that surround its middle but don't actually ____________ it.

seven touch

Uranus is unique in that it rotates on its ____________.

side

Venus is _________ in structure and size to Earth, but it is now a very different world.

similar

Neptune has ____ known rings

six

The ____________ planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's moon.

smallest

the sun is a ___________

star

Jupiter also has the ______________ gravity of all the planets

strongest

Mercury is a rocky planet, also known as a __________ planet. Mercury has a solid, cratered surface, much like the Earth's moon.

terrestrial

Venus Its _______ atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the _________ planet in our solar system—with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.

thick hottest

Venus spins "backwards", with the sun rising in the ______ and setting in the ______.

west east