SC.5.E.

The Milky Way is our home galaxy. Which of the following are the main components of a galaxy?

• orbits, cores, and eclipses

• gas, dust, and stars

• ice, meteoroids, and minerals

• gravity, sedimentary rocks, and water

Willie and his family are outside viewing the night sky. The night is dark and thousands of stars are visible. Willie's little sister asks him, "What is a star?" What is the best answer Willie could give his sister?

• Stars are large balls of burning gases.

• Stars are distant planets that reflect the light of the Sun.

• Stars are small glowing particles trapped in Earth's atmosphere.

• Stars are rocky asteroids that orbit the Sun.

Kristin likes to look at the stars at night. She wonders why she can't see the stars in the daytime. Which of the following best explains why the stars are not visible during the day?

• The Sun positions itself directly between Earth and the stars during the day.

• The light from the stars is traveling away from Earth, not towards it.

• The stars are so far away from Earth that their light is too dim to see while the Sun is shining.

• The stars do not reflect any of the Sun's light during the day.

Felipe and Stephanie are spending the evening observing stars together. They can see thousands of stars in the dark night sky. Stars outside of the solar system are most similar to which of the following?

• an asteroid

• the Moon

• Earth

• the Sun

Earth belongs to a system of gas, dust, stars, and orbiting objects known as which of the following?

• Pinwheel Galaxy

• Andromeda Galaxy

• Milky Way Galaxy

• Sombrero Galaxy

What do all planets have in common?

• They are all made of rock or ice.

• They all have rings or moons as satellites.

• They are all nearly round and orbit the Sun.

• They all rotate on an axis and orbit the Earth.

Comets and asteroids both crash into planets or their moons sometimes. In what other way are comets and asteroids similar?

• They both have a smooth, round shape.

• They are both found in orbit around the Sun.

• They both develop glowing tails near the Sun.

• They are both made of ice and rock particles.

Which of the following describes one way that Mars and Earth are different?

• Mars has a moon, but Earth does not.

• Earth has an atmosphere, but Mars does not.

• Earth is an inner planet and Mars is an outer planet.

• A year on Earth is about half as long as a year on Mars.

Of the outer planets, which one is closest to the Sun?

• Jupiter

• Neptune

• Saturn

• Venus

Ann and Cheryl are trying to write a general description of a planet that could apply to any planet in our Solar System. So far, their list looks like this: • orbits the Sun • is nearly round What else can they add to their list?

• spins on its axis

• has at least one moon

• has water on its surface

• is always the same distance from the Sun

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