Compare the planets, and where liquid water could exist
Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
A planet orbits in its star's habitable zone. What does that tell Bo?
- Liquid water could exist on its surface
- It is the same as Earth
- Life lives there
- It has oceans for sure, covering its surface
The Sun and a red dwarf. Compared with the Sun's habitable zone, where is a dim red dwarf's, by Kira's reading (NASA)?
- Much closer to the star
- Red dwarfs have no habitable zone
- At the same distance as the Sun's
- Much farther from the star
Read this first
Planets (NASA Planetary Fact Sheet)
Planet Distance (million km) Mean temperature (°C) Density (kg/m³) Mercury 57.9 167 5,429 Venus 108.2 464 5,243 Earth 149.6 15 5,514 Mars 228.0 −65 3,934 Jupiter 778.5 −110 1,326 Saturn 1,432.0 −140 687 Which planet in the table is hottest on average, by Jun's reading (NASA)?
- Mercury, since it is closest
- Earth, at 15 °C
- Jupiter, since it is biggest
- Venus, at 464 °C
Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, though farther from the Sun, by Luz's reading (NASA)?
- Closer planets are cooler
- Venus is closer to the Sun
- Venus's thick atmosphere traps heat
- Venus is made of hotter rock
Planets (NASA Planetary Fact Sheet)
Planet Distance (million km) Mean temperature (°C) Density (kg/m³) Mercury 57.9 167 5,429 Venus 108.2 464 5,243 Earth 149.6 15 5,514 Mars 228.0 −65 3,934 Jupiter 778.5 −110 1,326 Saturn 1,432.0 −140 687 Which planet in the table is least dense, by Milo's reading?
- Jupiter, the biggest
- Saturn, at 687 kg/m³
- Mercury, the smallest
- Earth, at 5,514 kg/m³
Which planets are terrestrial, with solid rocky surfaces, by Noah's reading (NASA)?
- Earth and Saturn
- Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
- Venus and Uranus
Orbit diagram with Jupiter and Saturn marked. What are Jupiter and Saturn called, by Pia's reading (NASA)?
- Dwarf planets
- Terrestrial planets
- Gas giants
- Ice giants
Cutaway of a gas giant with no hard surface. Why are Jupiter and Saturn unlikely places for liquid-water surfaces, by Ren's reading (NASA)?
- They are inside the Sun's habitable zone
- They have no hard surface for water to pool on
- They have rocky surfaces like Earth
- Life has already been found there
Counter labeled confirmed exoplanets (NASA). About how many exoplanets has NASA confirmed, by Tala's reading?
- Zero so far
- About 8, the planets in our system
- More than 6,000
- About 60
How does a transiting planet show itself, by Esme's reading (NASA)?
- It dims its star's light slightly as it passes
- It glows brightly on its own
- It blocks the starlight completely
- It makes the star brighter