Solar System Quiz

What is a solar system?

• A collection of stars and galaxies

• A star and the collection of objects orbiting it

• A group of black holes

• A single planet and its moons

Which of the following is NOT an example of an object that orbits a star in a solar system?

• Planet

• Moon

• Asteroid

• Galaxy

What force keeps everything in their orbits and holds the solar system together?

• Electromagnetic force

• Nuclear force

• Gravitational force

• Frictional force

What causes planets and comets to orbit the Sun?

• The magnetic force of the Sun

• The gravitational force of attraction between the Sun and the planet/comet

• The electrical force of the Sun

• The thermal energy from the Sun

How does the distance of a planet or comet from the Sun affect its orbital speed?

• The closer they are to the Sun, the slower they orbit

• The closer they are to the Sun, the faster they orbit

• The distance does not affect the orbital speed

• The farther they are from the Sun, the faster they orbit

How do the orbits of planets and comets differ?

• Planets have highly elliptical orbits, while comets have roughly circular orbits.

• Planets have roughly circular orbits, while comets have highly elliptical orbits.

• Both planets and comets have highly elliptical orbits.

• Both planets and comets have roughly spherical orbits.

What happens to the speed of comets as they approach the Sun?

• They slow down.

• They maintain a constant speed.

• They significantly increase in speed.

• They stop moving.

What is a galaxy?

• A collection of over 100 billion stars

• A single star

• A planet

• A comet

How many different shapes can galaxies come in?

• One shape

• Two shapes

• Many different shapes

• No shapes

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a galaxy?

• A collection of over 100 billion stars

• They come in many different shapes

• They are a single star

• They are part of the universe