Grade 9 Science

Unit 4: Space

Chapter 11: We continue to learn a lot about the solar system by using space exploration.

Name: ________________

Section #: ______________

The Sun

· Average sized _______________.

· Millions of ________ away.

· 300,000 more ____________________ then 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 ______________.

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...

· Orbit 1 or more ___________.

· Be large enough so its _________________ holds it in place.

· Be the only ______________ in its ________________ path.

Astronomical Units (AU)

· Used to ___________________ distances in space.

· 1 AU = 150 million km (the distance from the ______________ to the _________ )

Pluto

· 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

· “_____________________________” 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.

· Most famous __________________ comet which is visible every ____________ years or so.

Periodicity of Comets

· “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

· 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

· Meteoroid: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

· Meteor: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

· Meteorite: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Deep Impact Sites

· 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 ______________________.

Comprehension Questions

1. What are the three effects the Sun can have on the Earth?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What material makes up most of the Sun’s mass?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. A) What causes thermonuclear reactions?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B) What chemical change occurs during a thermonuclear reaction?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

C) What are the effects of a thermonuclear reaction?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the name of the dark areas on the photosphere of the Sun?

________________________________________________________________________

5. Define solar wind.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. A) What are the names of the light phenomena that occur in the sky at the North and South poles?

________________________________________________________________________

B) Explain why these occur.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What is the hottest layer of the Sun?

________________________________________________________________________

8. Why would a solar wing be fatal to organisms on Earth?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. How is Earth protected from solar wind?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What is meant by the term “Goldilocks Zone”?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. What forces must be balanced in order for a star to continue to shine?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. What three conditions must be met for a celestial body to be classified as a planet?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. Name two planets that do not have moons.

________________________________________________________________________

14. How many planets in the solar system have liquid water, ice, and clouds?

________________________________________________________________________

15. Where are asteroids formed?

________________________________________________________________________

16. How are meteors formed?

________________________________________________________________________

17. Which planet...

a) Has the shortest day? ___________________________________________________

b) Is called the red planet? _________________________________________________

c) Has an atmosphere composed of almost all carbon dioxide? ____________________

d) Rotates flipped on its side? ______________________________________________

e) Has an extreme temperature range of 400 to 183? _______________________

f) Is closest to the Sun? ___________________________________________________

g) Is furthest from the Sun? ________________________________________________

18. How do we believe the Earth’s moon formed?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. What is a dwarf planet? Name five.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. What does NEAs stand for?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. Where is the Kuiper belt found?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. A) Describe the composition of a comet.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B) How does the tail of a comet form?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

23. What is a shooting star?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

24. What is the main purpose of a rocket?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

25. What creates the thrust of a rocket?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

26. What is the purpose of the payload section, structural system, guidance system, and propulsion system of a rocket?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

27. Why is the International Space Station referred to as “international”?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

28. Define the term microgravity.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

29. What is Canadarm 2 and what can it do?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

30. What are some of the advantages of Dextre?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

31. What are the main differences between Canadarm 1 and Canadarm 2?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

32. Define the term artificial satellite.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

33. What factors must be taken into consideration when designing a spacesuit?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

34. State the differences between the following:

A) Satellites and probes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B) Optical telescopes and radio telescopes:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

35. Other than communication, list three ways that satellites help scientists.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

36. Why are communication satellites placed in a geosynchronous orbit?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

37. Give two reasons why a probe would be sent to another planet before a human world.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

39. When referring to astronauts floating in their spacecrafts, why is the term “freefall” a better term than “zero gravity”?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

40. What is the main difference between a refracting optical telescope and a reflecting telescope?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

41. Describe a disadvantage of using a telescope positioned in space.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

42. Why are radio telescopes used?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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)

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

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

Descriptor

_____  9.asteroid

_____ 10.comet

_____ 11.dwarf planet

_____ 12.meteorite

_____ 13.Oort Cloud

_____ 14.rover

_____ 15.solar wind

_____ 16.thermonuclear reaction

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

13