Earth and Solar System

Dwarf planets are smaller than planets. What is another way that dwarf planets are different?

• A. They are not spherical.

• B. They do not orbit the sun.

• C. They have large objects in their orbit.

• D. They move more slowly along their orbits.

As astronomer observes an object in space that has an irregular shape, that orbits the sun in a highly elliptical orbit, and that is made of ice and rock. Which object is the astronomer most likely observing?

• A. moon

• B. comet

• C. asteroid

• D. meteoroid

An astronomer uses parallax to determine a star’s distance from Earth. Which statement correctly describes parallax?

• A. Stars closer to Earth will have a dimmer appearance.

• B. Stars farther away from Earth will have a dimmer appearance.

• C. Stars closer to Earth will appear to have a greater shift in position.

• D. Stars farther away from Earth will appear to have a greater shift in position.

The picture shows a model of the solar system.

Which statement describes a limitation of the model?

• A. It cannot show how the planets orbit the sun.

• B. It cannot show the relative sizes of each planet.

• C. It does not show the gravitational force exerted by each planet.

• D. It does not show the order of the planets, from closest to the sun to farthest from the sun.

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Early astronomers noticed that some stars in the sky appeared to move together across the sky as constellations. How do astronomers today explain this motion?

• A. The sun’s gravity keeps the stars together because they orbit the sun at the same rate.

• B. The stars appear to move together along a path because of Earth’s rotation on its axis.

• C. Gravitational attraction between the stars keeps them fixed relative to each other as they move.

• D. The stars move around Earth in the same way, so their positions relative to each other stay the same.

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6. The table shows events that led to the current theory that the sun is the center of the solar system.

Which sequence of events is correct?

• A. 1, 2, 3

• B. 1, 3, 2

• C. 2, 1, 3

• D. 3, 1, 2

The dotted lines in the picture show orbital paths of objects.

Which object orbits object E?

• A. object A

• B. object B

• C. object C

• D. object D

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

Explain retrograde motion and why it confused early astronomers as they viewed the motion of objects in the sky.

Explain how Ptolemy’s concept of epicycles improved on Aristotle’s model of how objects move in the solar system.

Describe Copernicus’s heliocentric model of the solar system, and identify one way the model was later proven to be wrong.

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