Solar System Study Guide

Question 1

The Ancient Greeks knew all of the following planets: Earth Saturn, Uranus, Venus EXCEPT

Answer 1

Uranus

Question 2

The heliocentric system gained support when Galileo observed that

Answer 2

Venus goes through phases similar to those of Earth’s moon

Question 3

The sun produces energy by

Answer 3

Nuclear Fusion

Question 4

What layer are you looking at when you look at an image of the sun?

Answer 4

Photosphere

Question 5

The solar wind is a stream of electrically charged particles that extend outward from the sun’s

Answer 5

Corona

Question 6

In a heliocentric system, Earth revolves around

Answer 6

The sun

Question 7

What do all of the inner planets have in common?

Answer 7

They all are small and have rocky surfaces

Question 8

Aside from Earth, which inner planet once had liquid water on its surface?

Answer 8

Mars

Question 9

The atmospheres of the gas giant planets cannot escape into space because

Answer 9

The planets have very strong gravitational pulls

Question 10

What do the first four outer planets have in common?

Answer 10

They are much larger than Earth and are made mainly of hydrogen & helium

Question 11

Astronomers predicted the existence and orbit of Neptune based on

Answer 11

Neptune’s gravitational effect on the orbit of Uranun

Question 12

The fact that each planet’s orbit is an ellipse was discovered by

Answer 12

Kepler

Question 13

What shape are the orbits of most comets?

Answer 13

Long, narrow ellipses

Question 14

The asteroid belt is located

Answer 14

between Mars & Jupiter

Question 15

Meteoroids usually come from

Answer 15

comets or asteroids

Question 16

When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it produces a streak of light called a(n)

Answer 16

Meteor

Question 17

One of the conditions required for life on Earth is

Answer 17

Liquid water

Question 18

Scientists have discovered that life forms on Earth exist

Answer 18

in a very wide range of conditions

Question 19

Europa is considered a good place to look for life because

Answer 19

there may be liquid water under its icy crust

Question 20

The hypothesis that Mars may once have had the conditions needed to support life is based in part on

Answer 20

evidence that liquid water was once present

Question 21

Copernicus explained that

Answer 21

The sun is at the center of the system of planets

Question 22

Which parts of the sun’s atmosphere become visible during an eclipse?

Answer 22

Chromosphere & corona

Question 23

Which of the inner planets does NOT show evidence of volcanic activity

Answer 23

Mercury

Question 24

Venus and Earth are much alike in terms of

Answer 24

their SIZE and DENSITY

Question 25

Saturn’s rings are made up mostly of

Answer 25

Chunks of Ice and rock

Question 26

Uranus is different from most other planets because it

Answer 26

Rotates on its side

Question 27

The solar system consists of the sun, several kinds of smaller objects such as comets and asteroids, and

Answer 27

More than 100 planets

Question 28

What is distinctive about Jupiter?

Answer 28

It is the largest and most massive planet

Question 29

Neptune is very similar in size and color to

Answer 29

Uranus

Question 30

Which is the smallest terrestrial planet?

Answer 30

Mercury