G6 Solar System

What is responsible for the intense heat and pressure in the sun’s core?

• As gravity pulls material inward, pressure increases, heating the core.
• It’s caused by sunlight bouncing off the surface.
• Magnetic storms on the sun's surface.
• The moon’s gravitational pull.

Answer explanation

As more material was pulled into the disk’s center, it became more dense, pressures increased, and as a result, the center grew hot.

What is the relationship among sunspots, prominences, and solar flares?

• Sunspots, prominences, and solar flares are unrelated.
• Prominences and solar flares cool the sun’s surface.
• Sunspots often occur in pairs, prominences link them, and flares occur when loops connect.
• They are features of other stars, not the sun.

Answer explanation

Sunspots often occur in pairs. Huge loops of plasma that are polarized, called prominences, often link different parts of sunspot regions. Flares erupt when loops suddenly connect.

Compare and contrast asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.

• Asteroids are icy, comets are rocky, meteoroids are gas.
• Asteroids are rocky, comets are icy with tails, meteoroids are smaller chunks of rock or dust.
• All are identical space rocks.
• Meteoroids are larger than asteroids.

Answer explanation

Asteroids are small, mostly rocky bodies. Comets are loose balls of ice and rock that usually have very long, narrow orbits. Meteoroids are chunks of rock or dust smaller than asteroids.

What is one reason the solar system could not have formed without gravity?

• Gravity caused the planets to spin.
• Gravity pulled materials together to form the sun and planets.
• Gravity made the sun cooler.
• Gravity pushed the planets apart.

Answer explanation

The first step in the formation of the solar system occurred as the force of gravity began to pull together materials in the cloud.

What is responsible for the intense heat and pressure in the sun’s core?

• As gravity pulls material inward, pressure increases, heating the core.
• It’s caused by sunlight bouncing off the surface.
• Magnetic storms on the sun's surface.
• The moon’s gravitational pull.

Answer explanation

As more material was pulled into the disk’s center, it became more dense, pressures increased, and as a result, the center grew hot.

What is the relationship among sunspots, prominences, and solar flares?

• Sunspots, prominences, and solar flares are unrelated.
• Prominences and solar flares cool the sun’s surface.
• Sunspots often occur in pairs, prominences link them, and flares occur when loops connect.
• They are features of other stars, not the sun.

Answer explanation

Sunspots often occur in pairs. Huge loops of plasma that are polarized, called prominences, often link different parts of sunspot regions. Flares erupt when loops suddenly connect.

Compare and contrast asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.

• Asteroids are icy, comets are rocky, meteoroids are gas.
• Asteroids are rocky, comets are icy with tails, meteoroids are smaller chunks of rock or dust.
• All are identical space rocks.
• Meteoroids are larger than asteroids.

Answer explanation

Asteroids are small, mostly rocky bodies. Comets are loose balls of ice and rock that usually have very long, narrow orbits. Meteoroids are chunks of rock or dust smaller than asteroids.

What is one reason the solar system could not have formed without gravity?

• Gravity caused the planets to spin.
• Gravity pulled materials together to form the sun and planets.
• Gravity made the sun cooler.
• Gravity pushed the planets apart.

Answer explanation

The first step in the formation of the solar system occurred as the force of gravity began to pull together materials in the cloud.

Match the word to its correct definition: solar system

• The term feature can be used to mean a trait or characteristic.
• One astronomical unit equals the average distance from the sun to Earth.
• The sun, the planets, their moons, and a variety of smaller objects.
• A natural satellite is a celestial body in orbit.

Answer explanation

The solar system consists of the sun, the planets, their moons, and a variety of smaller objects.

Match the word to its correct definition: astronomical unit

• A natural satellite is a celestial body in orbit.
• The term feature can be used to mean a trait or characteristic.
• One astronomical unit equals the average distance from the sun to Earth.
• The sun, the planets, their moons, and a variety of smaller objects.

Answer explanation

One astronomical unit equals the average distance measured from the center of the sun to the center of Earth.