Solar System Object Comparison and Contrast

Which Planet is the largest?

• Earth

• Mars

• Jupiter

• Saturn

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

One similarity between asteroids, comets and meteoroids is that they all:

• are made of rock
• come from the Asteroid Belt
• come from the Oort Cloud
• orbit the sun

Huge chunks of rock and metal (some measuring miles wide) and are believed to be left-over pieces of planets and moons are called:

• Comets
• Meteors
• Asteroids
• Meteroids

Planets that have a rocky or solid surface are called:

• Terrestrial Planets
• Gas Giants

Which choice shows the correct order of the planets?

• Mars, Venus, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
• Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto
• Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
• Saturn, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune Mercury, Uranus

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Which of the earlier models of the Solar System, Geocentric or Heliocentric, is most similar to the Solar System as we know it to be today and why?

• A. Geocentric, because only the moon is shown orbiting the Earth.

• B. Geocentric, which includes all eight planets.

• C. Heliocentric, which includes all nine planets.

• D. Heliocentric, because the planets are orbiting the Sun.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Two of the models created to show the solar system were Ptolemy's geocentric and Copernicus's heliocentric. Which characteristic is the same for both models?

• A. The Earth revolves around the Sun.

• B. Uranus and Neptune are not included.

• C. The Sun is located at the center.

• D. The Earth orbits the moon.

Throughout history, several different models of the solar system have been proposed. One such model is shown below. According to a heliocentric model of the solar system, what should be located at position Q where indicated on the diagram?

• A. The Sun

• B. The Earth

• C. Jupiter

• D. The Moon

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Comets are astronomical bodies, made up of ice and dust, which orbit the Sun. During its elliptical orbit, a comet’s distance from the Sun varies. As a comet nears the Sun, what happens to the speed of its orbit?

• A. The speed decreases due to the gravitational pull of the Sun.

• B. The speed decreases due to an increase in orbit size.

• C. The speed increases due to the gravitational pull of the Sun.

• D. The speed increases due to a decrease in orbit size.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

The surface of Mercury has many more craters than the surface of Earth has. Which of the following statements best explains why Mercury has many more craters than Earth has?

• A. Mercury rotates faster than Earth does.

• B. Mercury has a smaller mass than Earth has.

• C. Mercury is much closer to the Sun than Earth is.

• D. Mercury has a thinner atmosphere than Earth has.