What are the names of the light displays caused by solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere?
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights).
How is the Sun categorized in terms of size?
It is a medium-sized star.
What is the name of Earth’s galaxy?
The Milky Way.
What shape does the Milky Way galaxy have?
A spiral shape.
What do we call the remains of meteors that land on Earth?
Meteorites.
What types of particles and radiation are found in space?
Particles of dust, gas, electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays.
At how many kilometers above Earth does outer space begin?
100 kilometers above Earth.
Which planets in our Solar System do not have moons?
Mercury and Venus
What is a galaxy made of?
A galaxy is made of gas, dust, and stars held together by gravity.
What does the remaining 10% of the Milky Way consist of?
Stars, planets, and other visible materials.
What is a prominence?
An eruption from the photosphere that travels along magnetic field lines and shoots bursts of plasma into the corona.
What protects Earth from most charged particles from the Sun?
Earth’s magnetic field.
What are some shapes that constellations can resemble?
Animals or people.
Name a star in the Milky Way that is larger than the Sun.
Rigel or VY Canis Majoris.
What is a common feature of most galactic centers?
Black holes.
What is the temperature at the core of the Sun?
Up to 15,000,000°C (over 27,000,000°F).
What is the innermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere called?
The photosphere.
What are stars?
Luminous balls of gas.
What are comets made of?
Small balls of frozen gases, rock, and dust.
What is an asteroid?
A mass of rock that revolves around the Sun, left over from the formation of the solar system.
What are constellations?
Collections of stars that form patterns visible from Earth.
Where do most asteroids exist in the solar system?
In a region called the asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
What is the name of the outer layer of the Sun’s atmosphere?
The corona.
How many planets do scientists believe are in the Milky Way?
At least 100 billion planets.
What are sunspots?
Darker, cooler patches on the Sun’s surface that form where large magnetic fields stop some heat from reaching the surface.
What objects make up our Solar System?
Planets, rocks, dust, moons, and other cosmic materials orbiting the Sun.
How many constellations are recognized by the International Astronomical Union?How many constellations are recognized by the International Astronomical Union?
88 constellations.
Where is Earth’s magnetic field weakest?
At the poles.
What is the name of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way?
Sagittarius A*.
What is the closest star to Earth?
The Sun
What percentage of the Milky Way is dark matter?
90%
What is a moon?
A natural satellite that orbits a larger object.
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