Hi Everyone!! This article will share Structure Of Our Solar System Questions & Answers.
In my previous post, I have shared Objective Type Questions & Answers of Structure Of Our Solar System so, make sure to check that post as well. I have also shared the questions and answers of Motions of The Earth, Globe – Latitudes and Longitudes so, you can check these posts also.
Structure Of Our Solar System Questions & Answers
Question 1: Define the following:
(a) Big Bang Theory
Answer: It is believed that the universe was formed 15 billion years ago due to a cosmic explosion, called big bang. And it is still expanding.
(b) Nebula
Answer: The big bang explosion led to the formation of giant clouds of gases and dust particles called nebula.
(c) Celestial Body
Answer: Bodies present in space are called heavenly or celestial bodies.
(d) Constellations
Answer: Clusters or group of stars are called Constellations. For example – Ursa Major, Orion, Tauras, Canis Major, Leo etc.
Question 2: What is meant by a ‘solar system’?
Answer: The family of the sun is known as the solar system.
Question 3: Name all the eight planets as per their distance from the sun.
Answer: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the eight planets as per their distance from the sun.
Question 4: What is a galaxy?
Answer: A galaxy is a system of billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.
Question 5: What is photosphere?
Answer: This is the outer layer of the Sun that is visible to us. This is where the light we see from the Sun originates.
Question 6: How much time light takes to reach earth from the sun?
Answer: The light from the sun reaches the Earth in about 8 minutes and 20 seconds.
Question 7: What do you mean by Planet day?
Answer: One rotation of the planet on its own axis is completed in the time period of one planet day.
Question 8: Do gas giants have rocks too?
Answer: They have very small rocky cores.
Structure Of Our Solar System Questions & Answers
Question 9: How much time moon takes to revolve around the earth?
Answer: The moon completes one revolution around the Earth in 27 days and 8 hours.
Question 10: When will the Halley’s Comet be seen again?
Answer: It was last seen in 1986 and it appears after every 76 years. So, it will be seen now in 2062.
Question 11: What do you mean by a solar eclipse?
Answer: As the earth revolves around the sun, it sometimes happens that the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight line, with the moon in between the earth and the sun. Then the shadow of the moon falls on a portion of the earth’s surface. This is known as a solar eclipse.
Question 12: If moon is revolving around the sun, then why do we see same side of the moon from the surface of the earth?
Answer: The time taken by the Moon to rotate on its axis is same as of its revolution around the Earth (27 days 8 hour) so, we always see the same side of the Moon from the Earth.
Question 13: What are the favourable conditions that facilitate life on the earth?
Answer: The favourable conditions that facilitate life on the earth are as follows:
- The earth is at an optimum distance from the sun. Therefore, it is neither too hot nor too cold. The suitable temperature makes life possible on earth.
- The earth is surrounded by a blanket of air, which is composed of life-supporting gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc.
- The ozone layer present in the atmosphere protects living things from the harmful ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun.
- The presence of an adequate amount of water in oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, etc. favours the evolution of life.
- Suitable seasons and weather conditions also support the existence of life.
Question 14: What is the difference between a comet and shooting stars?
Answer: Comets are huge lumps made up of snow and rocky dust which follows its own elliptical orbit around the sun.
Shooting stars are meteoroids which produce light when they enter in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Question 15: What is the difference between meteors, asteroids, meteorites and meteoroids?
Answer:
Asteroids – Also known as planetoids, are celestial bodies that revolve around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Meteoroids – These are pieces of rocks moving with high speed around the Sun.
Meteors – When meteoroids come near the Earth, they are pulled by gravity. On entering the Earth’s atmosphere, they produce heat and light and are known as meteors or shooting stars.
Meteorites – Meteors fall on the Earth’s surface causing huge dents or craters. These rock fragments are called meteorites.
Question 16: Differentiate between stars and planets.
Answer:
| Stars | Planets |
| 1. Self-luminous bodies. They emit their own light and heat. | 1. Non-luminous bodies. They only reflect the light received from the Sun. |
| 2. Made up of hot and burning gases. | 2. Made up of solid materials. |
| 3. Very large in size. | 3. Comparatively smaller in size. |
| 4. Move around the centre of the galaxy. | 4. Move around a star, the Sun. |
So, these were Structure Of Our Solar System Questions & Answers.