Galaxies, Solar System and Planets

Astronomers believe there are billions of galaxies in the universe. Which of the following is NOT found in other galaxies?

• Gas

• Dust

• Earth

• Stars

Earth belongs to a system of gas, dust, stars, and orbiting objects known as which of the following?

• Pinwheel Galaxy

• Milky Way Galaxy

• Andromeda Galaxy

• Sombrero Galaxy

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Kiara is interested in the moons of other planets. Some planets in our solar system have many moons, while others have none. Which group of planets should Kiara focus on to learn about as many moons as she can?

• Rocky planets

• Small planets

• Inner planets

• Outer planets

Jacob started creating a diagram to show some of the common characteristics of the planets in our solar system. Which characteristic should Jacob write in the empty circle of the diagram?

• Made mostly of gas

• Has a rocky surface

• Revolves around a star

• It is a satellite of another planet

Joselin divided some of the planets into two main groups. The table below shows how she grouped them. Which two categories did Joselin most likely use to group the planets?

• Planets and dwarf planets

• Planets with moons and planets without moons

• Objects that orbit the sun and objects that orbit other bodies

• Rocky planets and gas planets

The relative distances from the sun to all eight planets is shown in the illustration. Which of the labeled planets represents the relative position of the earth?

• Planet A

• Planet B

• Planet C

• Planet D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Ganymede is a moon of Jupiter. It is larger than Mercury and has a metallic core similar to the earth's core. Which of the statements below best explains why Ganymede is classified as a moon rather than a planet?

• It is too large to be called a planet.

• It orbits Jupiter instead of the sun.

• Its properties are different from Jupiter.

• It is farther from the sun than Mercury.

Astronomers study many different kinds of objects in our Solar System. Which of the following best describes a difference between comets and asteroids?

• Comets orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, and asteroids form patterns in the sky.

• Comets orbit planets, and most asteroids orbit the sun.

• Comets are made mostly of ice, and asteroids are made mostly of rocks.

• Comets are hot balls of gas, and asteroids are made mostly of ice.

Scientists discovered a relatively small object in an orbital path around the sun, as shown in the diagram below. Based on this information, the object is most likely which of the following?

• Comet

• Star

• Planet

• Moon

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Fifth-grade students in Mr. Thompkins's class were asked to explain why the shape of the moon changes during the course of a month. Some of his student's explanations are shown below.

Which student's explanation correctly explains why the shape of the moon changes?

• The moon grows and shrinks throughout the month, causing it to look big sometimes and smaller other times.

• The shape of the moon does not actually change. The amount of the moon that is in light depends on the position of the earth, moon, and sun.

• The position of the earth blocks the light produced by the moon. This causes a shadow on the moon, making the shape of the moon change as the earth spins.

• When light from the sun hits the moon, it begins to melt, causing the moon to look smaller and smaller. When there is no sunlight hitting the moon, it begins to freeze again and get bigger.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1