Solar System Vocabulary Quiz

What is the main force that holds the planets in the solar system in place?

• The Sun's gravitational pull

• The Moon's gravitational pull

• Earth's magnetic field

• Jupiter's gravitational pull

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Which celestial body is at the center of the solar system?

• Earth

• The Moon

• The Sun

• Jupiter

What is a planet?

• A celestial object that orbits the Sun, is nearly spherical, and has no larger objects in its orbit

• A star that emits light and heat

• A small rock that orbits the Earth

• A satellite that orbits a planet

What is the path called that an object follows as it moves around another central object?

• Rotation

• Revolution

• Orbit

• Axis

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Which of the following is an example of an orbit?

• The Earth spinning on its axis

• The Earth orbiting around the Sun

• The Moon rotating on its axis

• The Sun orbiting around the Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

What is an ellipse?

• A perfect circle

• A square with equal sides

• A circle that has been stretched or flattened out

• A triangle with three equal sides

What is the force that pulls an object with mass, such as a planet, toward its center?

• Magnetism

• Friction

• Gravity

• Electricity

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

What is momentum a measure of?

• The distance an object travels

• How hard it is to stop a moving object

• The color of an object

• The temperature of an object

What two factors determine the momentum of a planet as it orbits the Sun?

• Its color and temperature

• Its distance from the Sun and size

• Its mass and velocity

• Its shape and gravitational pull

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

What is inertia?

• The tendency for objects to change direction quickly

• The tendency for objects to resist changes to their direction and speed

• The ability of objects to move faster in space

• The force that pulls objects towards the Earth