The Solar System

Question 1

List the planets from closest to furthest from the sun

Answer 1

Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

Question 2

rhyme to remember planets

Answer 2

My
Very
Educated
Mother
Just 
Served 
Us
Nachos

Question 3

Asteroids

Answer 3

• Big rocks
• Irregular
• They are found as an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

Question 4

Comets

Answer 4

• Have tails
• Frozen dust and gas ‘dirty snowball’
• elliptical (oval) orbit

Question 5

meteoroid

Answer 5

A small body moving in the solar system. Potentially becomes a meteor

Question 6

meteor

Answer 6

Small body of matter that appears as a streak of light when it enters the earth’s atmosphere

Question 7

meteorite

Answer 7

Piece of rock or metal that has fallen to earth from outer space

Question 8

Crater

Answer 8

Deep impression left behind after an asteroid strike

Question 9

Bolide

Answer 9

Name given to a meteor that explodes in the sky from air pressure

Question 10

What are the three parts of a comet?

Answer 10

nucleus, coma and tail

Question 11

What are the three types of meteorites?

Answer 11

stony, iron, stony-iron

Question 12

Kuiper belt

Answer 12

The region in which many small icy bodies are found

Question 13

Oort cloud

Answer 13

The region beyond the sun in which billions of comets can be found

Question 14

New moon - day 1

Answer 14

dark side of the moon facing the earth

Question 15

waxing crescent moon - day 4

Answer 15

we begin to see a small part of the moon being lit

Question 16

First quarter half moon - day 7

Answer 16

we can see half of the moon

Question 17

waxing gibbous moon - day 10

Answer 17

we can see the majority of the moon

Question 18

full moon - day 14

Answer 18

we can see the whole moon

Question 19

waning gibbous moon - day 18

Answer 19

we can see the majority of the moon

Question 20

last quarter half moon - day 21

Answer 20

lit part of the moon is on the left hand side

Question 21

waning crescent moon - day 24

Answer 21

only a small part of the moon is visible

Question 22

Total eclipse

Answer 22

The moon is close to the earth and can block all of the light from the sun

Question 23

partial eclipse

Answer 23

The moon is not directly in line with the sun, so only some of the sun is blocked

Question 24

annular eclipse

Answer 24

when the moon is in front of the sun and far away from the earth, creating a ring of fire

Question 25

lunar eclipse

Answer 25

when the earth passes through the moon and the sun and the earth’s shadow conceals the moon

Question 26

what causes a blood moon

Answer 26

total lunar eclipse - when the moon passes completely into the shadow of the earth (umbra)

Question 27

solar eclipse

Answer 27

when the light of the sun is blocked by the moon

Question 28

The life cycle of a star

Answer 28

nebula 
protostar
nebula contracts
nuclear fusion/red giant
white dwarf/supernova 
black dwarf / neutron star/black hole

Question 29

nebula

Answer 29

a star is born in a huge, cold cloud of dust

Question 30

protostar

Answer 30

the nebula contracts under its own gravity and a clump of matter forms inside the cloud

Question 31

nebula contracts

Answer 31

2 hydrogen atoms combine to form helium

Question 32

nuclear fusion

Answer 32

nuclear fusion reactions release large amounts of heat and light energy

Question 33

the red giant

Answer 33

expands and cools. when all the hydrogen is used up, there is no more nuclear fusion. The death after the red giant stage depends on the size of the star

Question 34

The white dwarf

Answer 34

the outer region is dispersed, leaving a hot, dense area in the middle. eventually turns cold and becomes a black dwarf

Question 35

supernova

Answer 35

explosion happens due to constant expansion and contractions. what’s left - neutron star

Question 36

black hole

Answer 36

neutron star collapses and becomes a black hole

Question 37

speed of light

Answer 37

3 x 10 (to the power of 8)

Question 38

light year

Answer 38

the distance a ray of light will travel in one year