Components of the Universe: STAAR Released Questions

Front

What is the universe?

Back

The universe is the vast, all-encompassing space that contains all matter, energy, planets, stars, galaxies, and even the empty space between them.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Front

What are the main components of the universe?

Back

The main components of the universe include galaxies, stars, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and dark matter.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Front

Define a galaxy.

Back

A galaxy is a massive system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter, bound together by gravity.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Front

What is a star?

Back

A star is a luminous sphere of plasma held together by its own gravity, undergoing nuclear fusion to produce light and heat.

Front

What is a planet?

Back

A planet is a celestial body that orbits a star, is spherical in shape, and has cleared its orbit of other debris.

Front

What is dark matter?

Back

Dark matter is a form of matter that does not emit light or energy, making it invisible and detectable only through its gravitational effects.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Front

What is a comet?

Back

A comet is an icy small body that, when passing close to the Sun, heats up and begins to release gases, forming a glowing coma and sometimes a tail.

Front

What is the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite?

Back

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space; a meteor is the streak of light produced when a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere; a meteorite is a meteoroid that survives its passage through the atmosphere and lands on Earth.

Front

What is the Big Bang Theory?

Back

The Big Bang Theory is the leading explanation for the origin of the universe, suggesting it began as a singularity approximately 13.8 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-2

Front

What is a black hole?

Back

A black hole is a region of space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4