1D2 Solar System and Planets

Question 1

How many planets are currently in Earth’s solar system?

Answer 1

Eight

Question 2

What is the order of the planets based on their distance from the sun?

Answer 2

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Question 3

What is a planet?

Answer 3

A celestial body that orbits stars.

Question 4

What are the three main classifications for identifying a planet?

Answer 4

• Orbits a star.
• Spherical shape due to gravity.
• Must be big enough that it’s gravity clears away other objects from its orbit or orbital neighborhood.

Question 5

What are the rocky planets in our solar system known as?

Answer 5

Terrestrial planets.

They are predominantly composed of rocky substances such as rock, water, carbon, and silicate.

Question 6

What are gas planets primarily composed of?

Answer 6

• Hydrogen
• Helium

Question 7

What is the acronym for remembering the planets in our solar system?

Answer 7

My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos.

Question 8

Which planet is the hottest in our solar system due to the greenhouse effect?

Answer 8

Venus

Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System due to its thick atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide, with clouds of sulfuric acid, which creates an extreme greenhouse effect.

Question 9

Which planet is the only one in our solar system with tectonic plates?

Answer 9

Earth

Question 10

Which planet is known as Earth’s ‘red neighbor’?

Answer 10

Mars

Question 11

What are the four gas giants in our solar system?

Answer 11

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune

Uranus and Neptune are sometimes referred to an ‘ice giants’.

Question 12

What is the largest planet in our solar system?

Answer 12

Jupiter

Question 13

How many moons does Jupiter have?

Answer 13

Jupiter has 80 confirmed moons.

This is according to NASA.

Question 14

Why is Uranus known as an ice giant?

Answer 14

Because it is mostly made of ice and gas on its surface.

Question 15

What is an example of a dwarf planet?

Answer 15

Pluto

Question 16

What is the Kuiper Belt?

Answer 16

A zone beyond Neptune that contains many dwarf planets and exoplanets.

Question 17

What are exoplanets?

Answer 17

Planets that exist outside our solar system and orbit stars other than the Sun.

Question 18

How are exoplanets usually identified?

Answer 18

By a wobble-like feature due to the orbit around their parent star.

Question 19

What shape do planets take due to their gravity?

Answer 19

Spherical shape.

Question 20

What are the two main types of planets based on their composition?

Answer 20

• Terrestrial (rocky) planets.
• Jovian (gas) planets.

Question 21

What is the term used for planets that do not fulfill the three main criteria of classifying planets?

Answer 21

Dwarf planets

Question 22

What are exoplanets that do not orbit a star called?

Answer 22

Rogue planets (also sometimes referred to as free-floating planets or interstellar planets).

These planets wander through space independently, not bound to any star.

Question 23

Why is Pluto not a planet?

Answer 23

Pluto is not considered a planet because it has not cleared its orbit of other debris. It is classified as a dwarf planet instead.

Question 24

How many solar systems exist in the galaxy?

Answer 24

The Milky Way Galaxy alone contains over 3,200 different solar systems.

Question 25

Which planet is **closest** to the sun?

Answer 25

Mercury

Question 26

What are **terrestrial planets**?

Answer 26

* Earth-like planets with solid surfaces, comprised mainly of rocks, and have a metal core. * In our solar system, they include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Question 27

Name the **four terrestrial** planets.

Answer 27

* Mercury * Venus * Earth * Mars

Question 28

What are **Jovian** planets?

Answer 28

Also known as gas giants, these are planets primarily composed of gases without a solid surface.

Question 29

What are **moons**?

Answer 29

* Celestial bodies that orbit planets, having enough gravitational pull to form a spherical shape. * Moons are naturally formed satellites.

Question 30

Define **meteoroids**.

Answer 30

Small rocky or metallic bodies in space that are smaller than asteroids and can range in size from tiny grains to objects up to a meter wide.

Question 31

What is an **asteroid**?

Answer 31

* A small, rocky body orbiting the sun. * They are also known as 'minor planets' - objects that are neither true planets nor identified comets. ## Footnote They primarily orbit within the inner Solar System, especially in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 32

What are **comets** made of?

Answer 32

Small, icy bodies of frozen gases, rocks, and cosmic dust.

Question 33

What is a **meteor**?

Answer 33

A meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and heats up due to friction.

Question 34

How many moons does Earth have?

Answer 34

One

Question 35

What makes a planet a **dwarf** planet?

Answer 35

A dwarf planet is a celestial body that orbits the sun, has enough mass to assume a nearly round shape, has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and is not a moon

Question 36

What is a **protoplanetary disk**?

Answer 36

A disk of gas and dust surrounding a newborn star, from which planets are formed.

Question 37

What gives **Saturn** its distinctive appearance?

Answer 37

It's rings, primarily made of ice and rock particles.

Question 38

Which planet is known for its **distinct axial tilt**, causing it to appear to roll on its side?

Answer 38

Uranus ## Footnote It is known as the "sideways planet" because its axial tilt is so extreme that it appears to roll on its side as it orbits the Sun.

Question 39

Which planet is the **farthest** from the Sun?

Answer 39

Neptune

Question 40

What is the Milky Way?

Answer 40

The galaxy in which our solar system is located.

Question 41

Which planet has the **Great Red Spot**, a giant storm?

Answer 41

Jupiter

Question 42

What is the **asteroid belt**?

Answer 42

A region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where many small rocky bodies called asteroids orbit the Sun.