We have had some unusual weather over the last decade, and it’s getting more and more unusual as the years go by. Scientists are in the labs with weather tracking systems and high-tech instruments to help us try to understand what is happening and when it will happen. All of this got me to thinking about the solar system – which I know very little about. After hours of reading, I decided to write about the planets – something we know about, but then a lot has changed since our science classes in school. See how much of this you can remember and then how much you know because you keep up with new findings.
1. Why is Mars red?
2. What causes a solar eclipse?
3. Which planet rotates on its side?
4. How many large groups of rings does Saturn have?
5. Name the five planets located beyond the asteroid belt.
6. How much of the Earth is covered with water?
7. Is the sun a planet, a star, or a comet?
8. Where is the Oort Cloud?
9. Where can the biosphere be found?
10. Why does Mercury have craters?
11. Which planet was once thought to be two planets?
12. Which planet is closest to the sun?
13. Which planets have rings?
14. Which planet is big in total size but has a small core?
15. What keeps the planets in orbit around the sun?
16. Why is Pluto different from the other outer planets?
17. What planet is the hottest in our solar system?
18. How many planets are made of gas?
19. Name the inner planets.
20. What is the largest star in our solar system?
Answers
1. The reddish color is from the rocks that contain iron. 2. The moon casts a shadow on the Earth. 3. Uranus. 4. There are seven large groups. 5. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are the five outer planets. 6. Three quarters of the Earth is covered with water. 7. A star. 8. Beyond Pluto. 9. In the lower part of atmosphere, all of the hydrosphere and the upper part of the lithosphere. 10. It has a thin atmosphere that can’t burn up meteors. 11. Mercury. 12. Mercury. 13. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. 14. Jupiter consists of a small core with a thick layer of gas around it. 15. Gravity. 16. It’s made of rock and the other are gas planets. 17. Venus. 18. Four. 19. Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury. 20. The sun.