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The Solar System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the approximate distance of the Sun from Earth?

A

About 150 million km

This distance is often referred to as 1 Astronomical Unit (AU).

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2
Q

How much larger is the Sun compared to the Moon?

A

About 400 times larger

This size difference is not apparent due to the Sun’s greater distance from Earth.

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3
Q

What is the distance of the Moon from Earth?

A

About 390,000 km

This is the average distance; it can vary slightly due to the Moon’s elliptical orbit.

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4
Q

Which planet is closest to the Sun?

A

Mercury

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.

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5
Q

What is the distance of Mercury from the Sun?

A

About 60 million km

This makes Mercury the closest planet to the Sun.

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6
Q

What is the distance of Neptune from the Sun?

A

About 4500 million km

This distance illustrates the vastness of our solar system.

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7
Q

If drawn to scale, how far would Neptune be from the Sun in a diagram?

A

150 meters

This emphasizes the challenge of representing distances in space accurately.

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8
Q

True or False: The Moon and the Sun appear to be the same size from Earth.

A

True

This is due to the relative distances and sizes of the two celestial bodies.

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9
Q

List the four types of planets in the solar system based on their distance from the Sun.

A
  • Small planets close to the Sun
  • Bigger planets further away
  • Gas giants
  • Ice giants

The categorization helps in understanding the structure of the solar system.

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10
Q

What is the duration of one complete turn on Earth’s axis?

A

24 hours

This is also known as 1 Earth day.

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11
Q

How long does it take for Earth to orbit around the Sun?

A

365¼ days

This period is also referred to as 1 Earth year.

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12
Q

How long does Saturn take to complete one turn on its axis?

A

10.2 Earth hours

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13
Q

What is the orbital period of Saturn around the Sun?

A

29.5 Earth years

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14
Q

How many moons does Saturn have?

A

82 Moons

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15
Q

What is the composition of Saturn?

A

Consists of gases

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16
Q

How long does it take Mercury to complete one turn on its axis?

A

58.7 Earth days

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17
Q

What is the orbital period of Mercury around the Sun?

A

88 Earth days

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18
Q

How many moons does Mercury have?

A

No Moons

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19
Q

What is the duration of one complete turn on Venus’s axis?

A

243 Earth days

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20
Q

What is unique about Venus’s rotation direction?

A

It rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets

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21
Q

How long does it take Venus to orbit around the Sun?

A

225 Earth days

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22
Q

How many moons does Venus have?

A

No Moons

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23
Q

How long does Mars take to complete one turn on its axis?

A

24.62 Earth hours

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24
Q

What is the orbital period of Mars around the Sun?

A

687 Earth days

25
Q

What are the names of Mars’s moons?

A

Phobos and Deimos

26
Q

How long does Jupiter take to complete one turn on its axis?

A

9.8 Earth hours

27
Q

What is the orbital period of Jupiter around the Sun?

A

11.9 Earth years

28
Q

How many moons does Jupiter have?

A

At least 79 Moons

29
Q

What is the name of Jupiter’s largest moon?

30
Q

What is unique about Ganymede compared to Mercury?

A

Ganymede is larger than planet Mercury

31
Q

What is the composition of Jupiter?

A

Consists of gases

32
Q

How long does Uranus take to complete one turn on its axis?

A

10.2 Earth hours

33
Q

What is the orbital period of Uranus around the Sun?

A

29.5 Earth years

34
Q

How many moons does Uranus have?

35
Q

What is the composition of Uranus?

A

Consists almost entirely of ice

36
Q

How long does Neptune take to complete one turn on its axis?

A

19.1 Earth hours

37
Q

What is the orbital period of Neptune around the Sun?

A

164.8 Earth years

38
Q

How many moons does Neptune have?

39
Q

What is the composition of Neptune?

A

Consists almost entirely of ice

40
Q

How long does the Sun take to turn at its equator?

A

25 Earth days

41
Q

How many moons does Earth have?

42
Q

How long does it take for the Moon to complete its orbit around the Earth?

43
Q

What do we call the time it takes for the Moon to orbit the Earth?

44
Q

What is the term for when we can see none of the lit up half of the Moon?

45
Q

What do we call the phase when we can see all of the lit up half of the Moon?

46
Q

What are the phases called when we can see half of the lit up half of the Moon?

A

Quarter Moons

47
Q

What is the term for the part of the lit up half of the Moon that we can see from Earth?

A

Phase of the Moon

48
Q

How many phases of the Moon can we see from Earth during a period of 29.5 days?

A

All phases

49
Q

Fill in the blank: The Moon takes _______ days to orbit the Earth.

50
Q

True or False: A full Moon occurs when we can see none of the lit up half of the Moon.

51
Q

What are the Moon’s positions during the Quarter Moons?

A

Positions C and G

These positions indicate the stages of the Moon’s phases.

52
Q

What does it mean when we say the Moon is waxing?

A

The Moon is appearing larger every night

This phase occurs from the new Moon to the full Moon.

53
Q

What does it mean when we say the Moon is waning?

A

The Moon is appearing smaller every night

This phase occurs from the full Moon to the new Moon.

54
Q

Define a crescent shape.

A

Less than a half circle

This refers to the visual appearance of the Moon during certain phases.

55
Q

Define a gibbous shape.

A

More than a half circle

This describes the Moon’s appearance when it is nearly full.

56
Q

What is the visibility of the Moon during Quarter Moons?

A

Half of the Moon is lit

This is why we can see half of half of the Moon.

57
Q

Fill in the blank: The Moon appears larger every night during the ______ phase.

58
Q

Fill in the blank: The Moon appears smaller every night during the ______ phase.

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