Grade 9 Science
Unit 4: Space
Chapter 11: We continue to learn a lot
about the solar system by using space
exploration.
Name: ________________
Section #: ______________
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The Sun
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Average sized _______________.
Millions of ________ away.
300,000 more ____________________ than Earth, 99% of all mass in our
__________________ ____________________.
Approximately 5 ___________________ years old with 5 ________________ more to
go.
The huge size of the sun causes _____________________ to build up at the
_______________ of the sun as _____________________ pulls the mass
_______________.
Thermonuclear Reactions turn: H (______________________) → He (__________________)
giving off ____________ , Light, and UV _____________________________ in the process.
Solar Radiation
E (energy) ______________________ from the sun in the form of
__________________________ Radiation....E that is ___________________ or radiated in the
form of ______________ that range in ________________.
Ex:________________________, _________________________, ___________________,
____________________
The ___________________ is located in the “________________________ _______________”,
not too __________, not too ______________, just right!
Sunspots
Dark _______________ of slightly cooler (_______________) surface areas on the sun, they
____________________ and _____________________ in number on an 11-yr
______________. They may be related to ___________________ in the Earth’s climate.
Solar Flares
Eruptions of ___________ on the suns surface – can ___________ a few hours, temperatures
increase up to ____________________creates solar ______________.
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Solar Wind
Hot E bubbles “pop” on the _________________ of the sun and________ high E particles
rushing past _____________. Earth is __________________ from this solar wind by its
________________ field. Some of the _________________ enter the Earth’s
_________________________ at the poles where they ______________ with the gas in the
atmosphere to create _________________ (Northern/Southern Lights).
Some solar winds can ___________ Earth’s magnetic field and ______________ satellites,
knock out ____________ lines, and expose astronauts to high levels of ___________________.
The Planets
To be a planet you must...
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Orbit 1 or more ___________.
Be large enough so its _________________ holds it in place.
Be the only ______________ in its ________________ path.
Astronomical Units (AU)
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Used to ___________________ distances in space.
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1 AU = 150 million km (the distance from the ______________ to the _________ )
Pluto
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Now considered a __________________________________.
A celestial body ______________________ the sun that is generally
__________________ than a planet but massive enough for its own
_________________ to give it a round shape. However they are not strong enough to
clear their ________________ of __________________.
There are many other “dwarf planets” some are _____________________ and some
like _________________ have moons.
Comets
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“_____________________________” composed of ice, rock, and gas.
Originate from the ____________________ belt and Oort _________________.
They travel in long _____________________ orbits around the sun which are
__________________ by the gravitational _________________ of other planets.
It has a long ____________ tail as sunlight starts to melt the ____________, these can
stretch ______________________ of kilometres.
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Most famous __________________ comet which is visible every ____________ years or
so.
Periodicity of Comets
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“Period” is the amount of ____________ it takes an ________________ in orbit to
return to its ___________________ location.
Comets travel in _______________ and ______________ periods around the sun in
______________________ orbits.
Asteroids
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Small bodies _______________________ to be the leftover remains of the
_______________________ of the Solar System.
Mostly found in an _______________________ belt between Mars and
____________________.
They have _________________________ shapes.
Range in size from a ___________________ of sand up to ______________________.
An asteroid up to 1 km would ________________________ Earth.
Meteors
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Meteoroid:
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Meteor:
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Meteorite:
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Deep Impact Sites
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A place where a ________________________ small object (meteorite) has
_______________________ with a larger object. (planet)
Produces a fairly ________________________ depression in the ____________________ of the
larger ____________________ referred to as an impact ______________________.
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Comprehension Questions
1. What are the three effects the Sun can have on the Earth?
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2. What material makes up most of the Sun’s mass?
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3. A) What causes thermonuclear reactions?
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B) What chemical change occurs during a thermonuclear reaction?
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C) What are the effects of a thermonuclear reaction?
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4. What is the name of the dark areas on the photosphere of the Sun?
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5. Define solar wind.
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6. A) What are the names of the light phenomena that occur in the sky at the North and
South poles?
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B) Explain why these occur.
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7. What is the hottest layer of the Sun?
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8. Why would a solar wing be fatal to organisms on Earth?
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9. How is Earth protected from solar wind?
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10. What is meant by the term “Goldilocks Zone”?
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11. What forces must be balanced in order for a star to continue to shine?
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12. What three conditions must be met for a celestial body to be classified as a planet?
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13. Name two planets that do not have moons.
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14. How many planets in the solar system have liquid water, ice, and clouds?
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15. Where are asteroids formed?
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16. How are meteors formed?
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17. Which planet...
a) Has the shortest day? ___________________________________________________
b) Is called the red planet? _________________________________________________
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c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Has an atmosphere composed of almost all carbon dioxide? ____________________
Rotates flipped on its side? ______________________________________________
Has an extreme temperature range of 400 °𝐶 to 183°𝐶? _______________________
Is closest to the Sun? ___________________________________________________
Is furthest from the Sun? ________________________________________________
18. How do we believe the Earth’s moon formed?
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19. What is a dwarf planet? Name five.
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20. What does NEAs stand for?
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21. Where is the Kuiper belt found?
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22. A) Describe the composition of a comet.
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B) How does the tail of a comet form?
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23. What is a shooting star?
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24. What is the main purpose of a rocket?
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25. What creates the thrust of a rocket?
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26. What is the purpose of the payload section, structural system, guidance system, and
propulsion system of a rocket?
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27. Why is the International Space Station referred to as “international”?
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28. Define the term microgravity.
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29. What is Canadarm 2 and what can it do?
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30. What are some of the advantages of Dextre?
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31. What are the main differences between Canadarm 1 and Canadarm 2?
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32. Define the term artificial satellite.
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33. What factors must be taken into consideration when designing a spacesuit?
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34. State the differences between the following:
A) Satellites and probes.
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B) Optical telescopes and radio telescopes:
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35. Other than communication, list three ways that satellites help scientists.
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36. Why are communication satellites placed in a geosynchronous orbit?
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37. Give two reasons why a probe would be sent to another planet before a human world.
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38. Why did the robotic space rovers that were sent to Mars have to be programmed to
solve problems on their own rather than be totally controlled by scientists on Earth?
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39. When referring to astronauts floating in their spacecrafts, why is the term “freefall” a
better term than “zero gravity”?
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40. What is the main difference between a refracting optical telescope and a reflecting
telescope?
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41. Describe a disadvantage of using a telescope positioned in space.
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42. Why are radio telescopes used?
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Chapter 11 Key Terms
Create a list of 10 Key Terms or phrases from the descriptions below. Then find the words and
phrases in the puzzle.
1. the Sun’s 3000 km thick layer of hot (6000–20
000°C), low-density gas (12 letters)
2. meteors that enter Earth’s atmosphere and reach
Earth’s surface (9 letters)
3. the hot and energetic gases in the Sun’s corona that
are ejected in a sudden burst and rush past Earth (5
letters,
4 letters)
4. a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is generally
smaller than a planet but massive enough for its own
gravity to give it a round shape (5 letters, 6 letters)
5. a telescope that gathers and focusses light to provide
a magnified view (7 letters, 9 letters)
6. takes place when a planet passes in between Earth
and the Sun (7 letters)
7. an orbit that appears to sit above the same place on
Earth (14 letters, 5 letters)
8. a small body believed to be leftover remains of the
formation of the solar system (8 letters)
9. a space vehicle sent to other celestial bodies (5
letters)
10. a robotic space explorer that can be programmed to
carry out tests that humans would otherwise make (5
lters)
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Chapter 11 Practice Test
Goal • Check your understanding of Chapter 11.
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. Which of the following statements about the Sun is false?
A. In the photosphere, hot gas rises to the surface, cools, and then sinks back into
deeper layers.
B. Solar prominences are large loops of super-hot gas that extend out from the Sun’s
surface.
C. The corona is the innermost part of the Sun.
D. The dark patches on the Sun’s surface are called sunspots.
2. What is the temperature of sunspots?
A. about 10°C
B. about 3500°C
C. about 25 000°C
D. about 100 000°C
3. Which of the following could be damaged by space weather?
A. buildings
B. Earth’s orbit
C. satellites
D. wetlands
4. Which of the following statements does not describe an astronomical unit?
A. about 150 million km
B. equal to one light-year
C. the average distance between the Sun and Earth
D. used to measure distances in the solar system
5. Which of the following are sometimes called shooting stars?
A. asteroids
B. comets
C. meteors
D. planets
6. Which of the following statements about optical telescopes is false?
A. can be affected by cloudy weather, air and light pollution, and distortion caused by
heat and the atmosphere
B. collect wavelengths that are longer than those of light
C. use lenses to gather and focus light
D. use mirrors to collect light and project the image to an eyepiece lens
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7. Which of the following planets has the least mass in our solar system?
A. Jupiter
B. Neptune
C. Saturn
D. Venus
8. Which of the following parts is not a component of a rocket?
A. frame
B. guidance
C. payload
D. rover
Match the Term on the left with the best Descriptor on the right.
Each Descriptor may be used only once.
Term
_____ 9.
_____ 10.
_____ 11.
_____ 12.
_____ 13.
_____ 14.
_____ 15.
_____ 16.
reaction
asteroid
comet
dwarf planet
meteorite
Oort Cloud
rover
solar wind
thermonuclear
Descriptor
A. a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is smaller
than a planet but massive enough for its own
gravity to give it a round shape
B. a process where two or more atoms fuse to
create a different, larger atom, as well as a
tremendous amount of energy
C. a robotic space explorer
D. a source of comets
E. high-energy particles from the Sun’s corona that
rush past Earth
F. meteoroids that land on Earth’s surface
G. rocky material composed of ice, rock, and gas
H. small body that is believed to be leftover
remains of the formation of the solar system
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Chapter 11 - Terms
1) Chromosphere:
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2) Corona
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3) Photosphere
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4) Solar Prominences
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5) Solar Radiation
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6) Solar Wind
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7) Space Weather
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8) Sunspots
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9) Thermonuclear Reaction
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10) Asteroid
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11) Astronomical Unit
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12) Comet
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13) Dwarf Planet
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14) Kuiper Belt
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15) Meteor
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16) Meteorite
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17) Moon
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18) Oort Cloud
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19) Planet
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20) Transit
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21) Geosynchronous Orbit
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22) Optical Telescope
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23) Rover
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24) Satellite
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Mercury is the ____________ and ____________ planet in the solar system.
It is a ____________ grey rocky planet ____________ in ____________ and
____________ craters
Slightly ____________ than our ____________ and about ______________ the
size of ____________
It does _________ have any significant atmosphere
Mercury experiences significant ____________ between night and day
______________ (ranging from _________ to _________)
o The drastic ______________ change cause Mercury to ____________
and ____________, forming immense ____________ in the
____________
Venus is sometimes called Earth’s “____________ planet” due to its similar
__________ and ____________ pull.
This ____________ white planet is the _________ closest planet to the
__________.
Venus has the ____________ atmosphere of all the terrestrial planets in the
solar system.
o Because of this dense ____________, Venus cannot be seen through
optical ____________ because the planet is shrouded in ____________
clouds
This planet consists mostly of ____________ ____________
Large portions of the planet are very ____________, while other areas have
____________, __________ _________, and cracks called __________
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Earth is the ____________ known planet that can ____________ life
It is the ____________ planet and the ____________ terrestrial planet
Earth is mostly made of ____________ and ____________
____________ of Earth is covered in ____________ and the other ____________
is dry hard land
Earth is the only planet known to have ____________ in three ____________
Earth’s ____________ is composed mostly of ____________ and ____________
Mars is often called the ____________ planet because the ____________ in its
surface rocks gives it that ____________
It is ____________ the size of Earth
Mars has a ____________ that is ____________ times higher than
______________________ and an ________ deep canyon that would stretch
from ____________ to Toronto
Has a very ____________ atmosphere of __________
Can experience ____________ of more than ____________
Dust ____________ can cover the whole planet and last for ____________
Mars has ____________ polar icecaps made of ____________ CO2 and
____________
Jupiter is the ____________ planet in the solar system
o ____________ Earths could fit ____________ of Jupiter.
It is the ____________ outer planet to the ____________ and is made mostly of
____________ and ____________ gases and ____________ that give it a variety
of ____________, ____________, and ____________ colors.
Jupiter has a ____________ hole, known as the ____________ that has a
gravitational pull ____________ than anything else in the ____________.
It’s “great __________ spot” is ____________ times the size of Earth
o This spot is a huge ____________
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Jupiter has the ____________ day of any of the planets, turning __________ on
its axis every _________ hours
 Saturn is a ____________ giant and the sixth planet from the ____________
 Saturn is well known for its giant ____________ made up of particles of
____________, ____________, and ____________
 These ____________ can range in ____________ from specks of ____________
to the size of ____________
 The rings are ____________ wide but can be as thin as ____________
 Saturn is made mostly of ____________ and ____________ and is a tan color
with hints of ____________ and ____________ brown.
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The ____________ most ____________ planet in the solar system
A ____________ giant, it has a similar composition as ____________ and
____________, including a ____________ system composed of _________ and
_________
Uranus, unlike other planets in the solar system, ____________ on its
____________. It is mostly made up of ____________, ____________, and
____________ and is a dark ____________ color.
____________ most massive ____________ in the solar system
Neptune is the ____________ planet from the ____________
It is the ____________ gas giant and is a dark ____________ color like that of
Uranus
Neptune is mostly made up of ____________ and ____________
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