Q.1. How does a planet differ from a star?
Ans. (Differences between a planet and a star:
Q.2. What is meant by the ‘Solar System’?
Ans. The term Solar System refers to the “family” of the Sun. The Sun is a star around
which eight planets, among other celestial objects, revolve in orbits. This whole
system of bodies is called the Solar System. The Sun is the “head” of this system.
Q.3. Name all the planets according to their distance from the sun.
Ans. The list of planets in the order of their distance from the Sun is as follows:
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Q4. What can you see in the night sky?
Ans: We can see Celestial bodies like stars, planets, satellites, asteroids, meteors and
comets etc.
Q5. What is Nebula? How does it form?
Ans: A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. According to astronomers, the
universe started with a gigantic explosion-the Big Bang about 15 billion years
ago. Atoms and molecules were formed as a result of this explosion.
Q.6. What is North Star? What is the use of North star?
Ans: The brightest star in the night sky is the Pole star or the North Star. It appears to
remain in the same position in the sky. It is almost directly above the North Pole
and helps us to determine the north direction during the night.
Q.7. What is the “Solar System”?
Ans: The word ‘solar’ is derived from the Latin word “sol” meaning the Sun. The Solar
system is the family of the Sun.
Q8. List down the name of the planet in descending order of their respective size.
Ans: In descending order of their size the planets are: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury.
Q8. What is an Orbit?
Ans: Orbit is a regular/fixed path that an object in space takes around another one.
Q.9. What is the importance of the atmosphere?
Ans: i. The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the Atmosphere.
ii. Gases like nitrogen, Oxygen, carbon dioxide and ozone, all of which are
necessary for plant and animal life.
iii. Atmosphere act as a protective layer against the Sun's harmful rays.
Give Reason:
i. The Earth is called the blue planet.
Ans: Due to favorable temperature, water can exist on Earth in all three forms-solid,
liquid, gas. Two - thirds of its surface is covered with water, so the Earth looks
blue from outer space.
ii. In the New moon Phase we cannot see the moon.
Ans: In the phases of the Moon when the side of the Moon facing us does not receive
any sunlight, we cannot see the moon.
Fill in the blanks
1. ……….. is the closest celestial body to our earth.(Moon)
2. ………. is the third nearest planet to the sun. (Earth)
3. Planets do not have their own ………… and ……….(heat, light.)
4. Full moon night occurs once every………. ( Month)
5. The Hindi word for the New Moon night is ……….(Amawasya)
6. The sun is …………(head of the Solar System)
7. ………..is now a “dwarf planet”. (Pluto)
8. The term “Blue Planet” indicates the presence of…………(Water)
9. The Amavasya night occurs about …days after the Poomima night. (15
days)
10. Stars are celestial bodies that are ……….. and ………….(big, hot)
11. The planets do not possess their own ……and ……(heat & Light)
12. The Greek word which is the origin of the word “planets” means
………….(Planetai)
State whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. The Pole Star is known to have a fixed position in the sky. True
2. The earth is the only planet that has a natural satellite. False
3. Pluto was declared a “dwarf planet”. True
4. The earth is the third-largest planet in the solar system. False
5. The moon takes about the same time in rotating about its axis once as it does to
complete a revolution around the earth. True
Short Answer Type Questions
1. Name two celestial bodies visible only in the night sky.
Answer: The moon and the stars are celestial bodies visible in the night sky.
2. Why do we not feel the heat and light of the stars, even though they are so big and
hot?
Answer: We do not feel the heat and light of the stars since they are very far away.
3. From which Greek word is the word „planet‟ derived?
Answer: The word „planet‟ is derived from the Greek word „Planetai‟.
4. What does the solar family consist of? [V. Imp.]
Answer: The solar family consists of the sun, planets, their satellites, and asteroids and
meteoroids.
5. What is the shape of the orbits in which planets revolve around the sun?
Answer: The orbits of planets are elliptical (Le. elongated) in shape.
6. Which planet is called “Earth‟s twin” and why?
Answer: Venus is called “Earth‟s twin” because it is similar to Earth in its shape and
size.
