The solar system and beyond (Ms. Bird) Flashcards
What is the equator?
The equator is a line that separates the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere.
The Earth orbits the Sun.
How many days does it take to do one ful turn around it and what is it known as?
It takes 365 days + ¼ and is known as a YEAR.
The moon orbits the Earth.
How many days does it take to do one full turn around it and what is it known as?
It takes 28 days and is known as a MONTH (lunar month).
What is a satellite?
A satellite is something that goes around a planet.
Is the moon also a satellite?
Yes, it is the Earth’s only natural satellite.
Which hemisphere is England in?
The Northern hemisphere.
Which hemisphere is Australia in?
The Southern hemisphere.
How many planets are there in the Solar System?
There are 8 planets in our Solar System.
Which one of these planets is the closest to the Sun:
Uranus, Mars, Mercury or Earth?
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
Which is the smallest planet out of these 8:
Venus, Neptune, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Mercury, Uranus or Jupiter?
Mercury.
Which is the biggest planet out of these 8:
Venus, Neptune, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Mercury, Uranus or Jupiter?
Jupiter.
In order from the closest to the Sun to the farthest to the Sun, classify the planets of the Solar System.
1) Mercury, 2) Venus, 3) Earth, 4) Mars, 5) Jupiter, 6) Saturn, 7) Uranus, 8) Neptune.
If the planets were fruits,
what would fruits would they be?
Mercury would be a peppercorn, Venus and Earth would both be cherry tomatos, Mars would be a blueberry, Jupiter would be a watermelon, Saturn would be a large grapefruit, Uranus would be an apple and Neptune would be a lime.
How many moons does Jupiter have?
Jupiter has 16 moons.
Do all the planets of the Solar System orbit the Sun?
Yes, including lots of asteroids.
What are the “Inner Planets”?
They are the four closest planets to the Sun.
What are the “Outer Planets”?
They are planets made of gas.
True or false:
Planet Earth is not the only planet with life on it.
False.
Earth is the only one with life - the others are too hot or too cold.
True or false:
The closer to the Sun, the hotter the planet is.
True.
The Sun heats up the planets.
Roughly how many times can the Earth fit in the Sun?
Over one million times.
I live in the northern hemisphere in the UK. For Christmas, I went to Australia, but instead of being cold and wet, it was dry and sunny.
Why is this?
While it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the southern hemispere. This is because the Earth’s axis isn’t straight but tilted sideways.
Which planet takes the longest to orbit the Sun and why?
Neptune takes the longest to orbit the Sun because it is the farthest to the Sun compared to the other planets.
How do the planets stay in orbit?
Because of the gravititional pull of the Sun.
How many times will the Earth spin (around itself) in a week?
Seven times.
This is because one spin = one day.
True or false:
The imaginary line that goes though the Earth around which it spins is called an axis.
True.
True or false:
The time it takes the Earth to go once round the Sun is 10 months.
False.
It is 12 months which is the same as a year.
True or false:
The moon is a luminous object.
False.
The only reason the moon seems to provide lightis because it is the Sun that shines on it.
When it is spring in the UK, which season is it in Australia?
It it autumn (fall) in Australia.
