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Grade 9 · Science · Earth and Space Science

9th grade Galaxies, the Milky Way and our place in it worksheet

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Galaxies, the Milky Way and our place in it

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. “Sketch of a” A galaxy has a bright center and a flat disk with arms winding out. Which type is it, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

    • Elliptical
    • Spiral
    • Irregular
    • A solar system

  2. A galaxy is a smooth, round-to-oval glow with no arms. Which type is it, by Bo's reading (NASA)?

    • Elliptical
    • Spiral
    • Irregular
    • A nebula inside a star

  3. A galaxy is a patchy cloud of stars with no regular shape. Which type is it, by Kira's reading (NASA)?

    • Spiral
    • Elliptical
    • Irregular
    • A planet's ring

  4. Read this first

    The Milky Way (NASA)

    FactValue
    disk widthmore than 100,000 light-years
    Sun's distance from centerabout 26,000 light-years (sources give 25,000 to 28,000)
    one orbit of the Sunabout 230 to 250 million years (sources differ)
    Andromeda2.5 million light-years away

  5. Where is the Sun in the Milky Way, by Jun's reading (NASA)?

    • At the outer edge of the disk
    • About halfway out from the center, on a spiral arm
    • At the very center
    • Outside the galaxy

  6. About how wide is the Milky Way's disk of stars, by Luz's reading (NASA)?

    • About 100,000 years of travel by car
    • More than 100,000 light-years
    • About 100,000 km
    • About 8 light-minutes

  7. About how long does the solar system take to orbit the Milky Way's center once, by Milo's reading (NASA)?

    • About 230 to 250 million years
    • About 240 years
    • It does not orbit; the Sun is at the center
    • About one year

  8. Ruler labeled 1 light-year. What is a light-year, by Noah's reading?

    • The time light takes to cross the galaxy
    • The distance light travels in one year
    • One year on a planet near a star
    • The brightness of a star

  9. Four nested-box cards, labeled A to D. Which list goes from smallest to largest, by Pia's reading?

    • Solar system, universe, galaxy
    • Universe, galaxy, solar system
    • Solar system, galaxy, universe
    • Galaxy, solar system, universe

  10. Ruler labeled 1 light-year. About how far does light travel in one year, by Ren's reading?

    • About 9.46 trillion km
    • Light arrives at once, so there is no distance
    • About 300,000 km
    • About 150 million km

  11. The Milky Way (NASA)

    FactValue
    disk widthmore than 100,000 light-years
    Sun's distance from centerabout 26,000 light-years (sources give 25,000 to 28,000)
    one orbit of the Sunabout 230 to 250 million years (sources differ)
    Andromeda2.5 million light-years away

  12. Andromeda is 2.5 million light-years away. When did the light Zee sees from it tonight leave it?

    • Tonight, at the moment it is seen
    • About 2.5 years ago
    • About 8 minutes ago
    • About 2.5 million years ago
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9th grade Galaxies, the Milky Way and our place in it worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Galaxies, the Milky Way and our place in it. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can classify spiral, elliptical and irregular galaxies and describe the Milky Way and our place in it.
  • I can use light-years as a distance and work out how long ago a galaxy's light left it.
  • I can explain how star speeds in galaxies point to dark matter, and work with the scale of galaxies and the Local Group.

Standard: none (TX, FL)

Words to know

galaxy: A huge system of stars, gas, dust and dark matter held by gravity

light-year: The distance light travels in a year, about 9.46 trillion km

Local Group: Our neighborhood of over 50 galaxies

dark matter: Unseen matter known from its gravity

barred spiral: A spiral galaxy with a bar of stars across its center

Common mistakes

Your child named the wrong galaxy type. Spirals have a disk and arms, ellipticals are round to oval with no arms, and irregulars have no regular shape (NASA).

Your child mixed up the solar system, the galaxy and the universe. The solar system is one star and its planets; the Milky Way holds billions of stars; the universe holds billions of galaxies.

Your child put the Sun at the galaxy's center. The Sun is about halfway out, about 26,000 light-years from the center (sources give 25,000 to 28,000), on the Orion Arm.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with galaxies, the milky way and our place in it?

Your child named the wrong galaxy type. Spirals have a disk and arms, ellipticals are round to oval with no arms, and irregulars have no regular shape (NASA).

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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