Our Solar System

What features make a planet a planet?(Tick all correct responses)

• It is spherical
• It is the only object on its orbit.
• It orbits around a star.
• It rotates on it axis.
• It has to have a moon.

What is the main difference between the inner 4 planets and the outer 4 planets of our Solar System?

Some planets have a day that is longer than their year, how is this possible?

• The planet spins too fast on its axis compared to the time it take to orbit the sun.
• The planet take less time to orbit around the sun than it does to rotate on its axis.
• The planet takes too long to orbit the sun.
• The planet orbits the Sun very slowly and also rotates on its axis equally slowly.

Explain why the average temperature on the planets of our Solar System are different from each other?

Venus is the second planet from the Sun yet it is the hottest planet. Why is this so?

• Because heat is reflected off Mercury onto Venus.
• Because Venus has the densest atmosphere of all the planets which traps in the heat from the Sun.
• Because Venus has no atmosphere to protect it from the Sun's heat.
• Because a day on Venus is equal to 245 Earth days so Venus gets more day light and absorbs more heat from the Sun.

Why didn't the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use the same Greek constellations?

• Because the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had their stories about the constellations..
• Because the constellations in the Southern Hemisphere are different to many of the ones seen in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Because the stories about their constellations had more meaning for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than the Greek stories.
• Because the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples understanding of the constellation was connected to their everyday life.
• All of the above.

How do the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use their knowledge of night sky and star constellations? (tick all correct responses)

• They used them for navigating.
• They used them to tell stories about their country.
• They used them to tell them when certain resources were in abundance.
• They used them to know when to plant and harvest certain plants.
• They used them in their dreaming stories.

What can we learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples astrology?