Question 1

• Why is gravity important to the solar system? (at least 3 reasons)

1) Keeps the planets in orbit around the sun.

2) Causes velocity of planets to keep changing.

3) Causes a curved path

Question 2

• What affect does gravity have on a planets atmosphere.

• Low gravity will mean low atmospheres or no atmosphere.

• Gravity even keeps an atmosphere together.

Question 3

• What is the difference between rotation and revolution? Give an example of something that does both at the same time.

• Rotation is something spinning on it’s own axis

• Revolution is something moving around another object.

• A top, the tea cup ride.

Question 4

• Describe Kepler’s 3 laws in your own words. Draw pictures to help explain your answer.

1) Planets orbit in an elliptical path.

2) Planets move faster when closer to the sun.

3) The further away from the sun in longer the period of revlolution

Question 5

• When do scientists use AUs?

• To make it easier to explain the large distances between planets and the sun.

Question 6

• What is a nebula? How was one involved in the formation of the solar system?

• Giant cloud of gas and dust.

• The nebula contracted as gravity pulled materials closer together.

• Areas become denser and temperatures increased creating a sun.

Question 7

• How did the moon form?

• An asteroid hit Earth and “broke” off a portion.

Question 8

• What causes eclipses? • When on celestial body lines up in front of another.

Question 9

• What happens during a lunar eclipse. These can only happen during __________.

• Occurs only during full moons.

• Earth is between Sun and moon.

• Portions of the moon are shaded.

Question 10

• What happens during a solar eclipse. These can only happen during __________

• The moon is between Earth and Sun.

• Moon casts a shadow on Earth.

• The shadow is small so it can only be seen on a small area of Earth.

• This only happens during the day.

Question 11

• Why does the moon look different if we always see the same part?

• As the moon revolves around Earth, the illuminated portion appears to change.

Question 12

• List the planets in order of closest to farthest from the sun.

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

Question 13

1.Which planets are the inner planets? How are they similar?

• Mercury• Venus• Earth• Mars• They have rocky

compostions, craters on their surfaces and are warmer.

• They are smaller

Question 14

1.Which planets are the outer planets? How are they similar?

• Jupiter• Saturn• Uranus• Neptune• They are larger,

gaseous, and colder.• Can be found beyond

the asteroid belt.

Question 15

• What planet is the biggest, which is the smallest

• Biggest = Jupiter• Smallest = Mercury

Asteroids Comets Meteoroids

What is it Rocky objects, smaller than a planet.

Small, icy body. A meteoroid is a small particle from a comet or asteroid. A meteoroid is significantly smaller than an asteroid.

What does it look like

Rocky object. A rock with a tail Shooting star as it falls to Earth.Rocky pieces smaller than 50 m.

Orbital path Yes, the whole Asteroid belt is an orbital path. Some “fall” out of the belt.

Short period – less than 200 years

Long period – longer than 200 years

Yes. Some “fall” out of the belt.

Where is it found and how many

Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Hundreds of thousands.

Short period – Kuiper belt past NeptuneLong period – Oort Cloud at edge of solar system

Some in the Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Some with their own orbit.

Question 16 , 17, 18