Solar System Science Olympiad

How does Mercury's orbit around the sun compare to its rotation on its axis?

• It rotates slowly and orbits quickly
• It orbits slowly and rotates quickly
• It orbits quickly and rotates quickly
• It orbits slowly and rotates slowly

Which word best describes what nights on Mercury are like?

• balmy
• cool
• hot
• frigid

What makes it difficult for astronomers to see Mercury? Choose the best answer.

• Its location in the solar system
• its size
• its distance from Earth
• the chemical composition

If you are 10 years old in Earth years, how long have you lived in Mercury years?

• 3 years
• 9 and a half years
• 20 years
• 40 years

How do days on Mercury compare to days on Earth?

• Days on Mercury are slightly longer
• Days on Mercury are slightly shorter
• Days on Mercury are much longer
• Days on Mercury are much shorter

What can you infer about the Mariner 10 probe, which visited Mercury in 1974?

• It had a crew of three astronauts
• It returned to Earth in early 1975
• It traveled farther than any other American spacecraft
• It was an unmanned spacecraft

What's the best description of Mercury's core?

• metallic
• rocky
• frozen
• Gaseous

Mercury is both cold and hot because of this one critical thing.

• It has carbon dioxide instead of air
• It has no atmosphere
• it has too many cows

Mercury has....

• no moons
• no rings
• Lots of rings and moons
• no moons and no rings

Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system.

• False
• True