Inner Solar System

What is the length of Mars’s orbital radius?

• 1.5 AU

• 200 AU

• 2,000.5 AU

• 5,000 AU

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Which of these statements is true of the asteroid belt?

• Asteroids are very close together.

• The asteroid belt lies outside of Mercury’s orbit.

• The asteroid belt contains no more than a thousand asteroids.

• The asteroid belt is between about 2 and 4 AU from the sun.

What of these statements is NOT true of Earth’s radius and mass?

• Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets.

• Earth’s large mass results in a thin atmosphere.

• Earth’s crust is less than 1% of its planetary radius.

• Earth’s large mass results in strong gravitational force.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

What is one effect that Mars’s small mass has on its atmosphere?

• The atmosphere is more concentrated with greenhouse gases.

• The gravitational force holding the atmosphere is not very strong.

• Its atmosphere often switches back and forth between being thick and thin.

• Its similar mass to Earth means that it contains enough oxygen for a person to breathe.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Why does Venus experience higher temperatures than those experienced by Mercury?

• Venus is covered in volcanoes

• Venus is closer to the sun than Mercury.

• Venus receives more direct sunlight than Mercury.

• Venus’s atmosphere absorbs and traps more thermal energy from the sun.

What is the advantage of using space telescopes over ground telescopes?

• Space telescopes can travel anywhere in the solar system.

• Space telescopes are always more powerful than ground telescopes.

• Space telescopes are able to store more information than ground telescopes.

• Space telescopes are not affected by light pollution and Earth’s atmosphere.

Which of these statements is true of how astronomers have used spacecraft to collect information about the solar system?

• Many spacecraft contain tools that help to determine the masses of distant moons.

• Spacecraft technology only allows spacecraft to fall into orbit around celestial bodies.

• Astronomers have sent spacecraft to different parts of the solar system starting in the 1990s.

• Photos obtained from spacecraft are often lack the detail of photos from ground telescopes.

What is the length of Mercury’s orbital radius?

• 0.00004 AU

• 0.4 AU

• 14 AU

• 400 AU

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

What is one reason Earth’s temperature range is important to life on the planet?

• It produces a breathable atmosphere on Earth.

• It allows liquid water to exist on the surface.

• It helps the greenhouse effect be less noticeable.

• It makes Earth the only potentially habitable planet.

Which of these statements is NOT true of Ceres?

• It is the tiniest known dwarf planet.

• It is the largest object in the asteroid belt.

• It has easily accessible water and ice above its crust.

• It could have about as much fresh water as Earth has on its surface.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1