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6th grade Stars, galaxies and the universe worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Stars, galaxies and the universe

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Nested boxes, not to scale, each box drawn inside the next. Box W: the Sun and its planets. Box X: Box W plus more than 100 billion other stars. Box Y: Box X plus over 50 other galaxies. Box Z: Box Y plus many more groups and clusters of galaxies.

  2. Ari reads the nested-boxes strip for a space club poster. Which box is the Milky Way galaxy?

    • Box X
    • Box Z
    • Box Y
    • Box W, as it holds the Sun
  3. The Local Group is the Milky Way's neighborhood of over 50 galaxies. Which box stands for it, Bo?

    • Box X, the Milky Way alone
    • Box Z, everything there is
    • Box Y
    • Box W, the Sun and planets
  4. Box Z holds Box Y and many more groups and clusters of galaxies. What does Box Z stand for, Esme?

    • The Sun
    • The Milky Way
    • The solar system
    • The universe
  5. Jun reads that the Sun is a star. Why does it look so much bigger and brighter than the stars at night?

    • It is much closer to Earth than other stars
    • It is the biggest star in the galaxy
    • Other stars give off no light of their own
    • It is not a star; stars are tiny sparks
  6. After the Sun, the nearest star is Proxima Centauri, 4.24 light-years away (NASA). What kind of object is the Sun, Kira?

    • A planet that glows
    • A comet
    • A star, the closest one to Earth
    • A whole galaxy
  7. Luz counts the stars in our solar system for a quiz. How many are there?

    • More than 100 billion
    • Zero, since the Sun is not a star
    • One, the Sun
    • Eight, one for each planet
  8. Use this

    Star color card (NASA), columns Surface temperature, Color and Example. About 3,000 °C: reddish, like Betelgeuse. About 5,500 °C: yellow, like the Sun. About 12,000 °C: blue, like Rigel.

  9. Using the star color card, which color goes with the hottest stars, Milo?

    • Reddish
    • Yellow
    • Deep red, like a stove
    • Blue
  10. Using the color card, how does the Sun's surface temperature compare with Rigel's, Pia?

    • They are the same
    • The Sun is cooler
    • Rigel has no temperature
    • The Sun is hotter
  11. Galaxy card: a flat disk with arms that wind out from a bright central bulge. Which shape is it, Ren?

    • Irregular
    • Elliptical
    • Spiral
    • A solar system
  12. Galaxy card: no clear shape, no bulge and no spiral arms, like a messy cloud of stars. Which shape is it, Zee?

    • Barred spiral, with a bar
    • Irregular
    • Elliptical
    • Spiral
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6th grade Stars, galaxies and the universe worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Stars, galaxies and the universe. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can place the solar system, the Milky Way, the Local Group and the universe in order of size, and find the Sun in the Milky Way.
  • I can explain that the Sun is a star that looks bigger and brighter because it is closer, and use color to compare star temperatures.
  • I can name spiral, elliptical and irregular galaxies, and use light-years as a distance.
  • I can say what scientists' evidence shows about the universe's history: it began about 13.8 billion years ago and is expanding.

Standard: MS-ESS1-2 (partial: galaxies)

Words to know

galaxy: A huge group of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity

Milky Way: Our galaxy, a spiral more than 100,000 light-years across

light-year: How far light travels in one year, about 9.5 trillion km

main sequence star: A star fusing hydrogen into helium in its core, like the Sun

big bang: The hot, dense start of the universe about 13.8 billion years ago

cosmic microwave background: The oldest light we can observe, from early in the universe

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up the solar system and the galaxy. The solar system is one star, the Sun, with its planets; the Milky Way galaxy holds more than 100 billion stars. Draw a dot inside a big swirl.

Your child did not treat the Sun as a star. The Sun is a star; it looks bigger and brighter than the others because it is much closer. Ask which star is closest to Earth.

Your child thought red stars are the hottest. For stars, blue means hotter and red means cooler. Ask your child to read the color card from cool to hot.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with stars, galaxies and the universe?

Your child mixed up the solar system and the galaxy. The solar system is one star, the Sun, with its planets; the Milky Way galaxy holds more than 100 billion stars. Draw a dot inside a big swirl.

Are these 6th 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.

More grade 6 science

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