Space physics — IGCSE Physics (0625) questions by topic

What is the time taken for the Earth to spin once on its axis and the time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun? spin on its axis orbit the Sun --- --- --- A 24 hours 1 month B 24…

Electromagnetic radiation from distant galaxies is redshifted when observed from the Earth. This is evidence that supports the Big Bang Theory. Which statement is correct? A Light…

Which statement about the Milky Way is correct? A It is a galaxy made up of billions of stars. B It is a group of galaxies in our Solar System. C It is all the stars that we can…

The Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all bodies in the Solar System. The Earth has a periodic cycle of day and night and a periodic cycle of seasons. Which row relates the periods…

The Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all bodies in the Solar System. The Earth has a periodic cycle of day and night and a periodic cycle of seasons. Which row relates the periods…

A student defines three periods of time: - the time TS taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun - the time TR taken for the Earth to rotate once on its axis - the time TM taken for…

Which statement about the Universe is correct? A The Universe consists of 100 000 galaxies. B Redshift is a decrease in the observed wavelength of electromagnetic radiation…

Which statement about the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) is correct? A CMBR now has a frequency higher than that of infrared radiation. B CMBR has always had exactly…

Which statement is correct? A The Earth orbits the Sun once in approximately 24 hours. B The Earth orbits the Moon once in approximately 1 week. C The Moon orbits the Earth once…

Stars are powered by nuclear reactions that release energy. Which statement describes the nuclear reaction in stable stars? A Nuclear fission converts helium into hydrogen. B…

A galaxy is moving away from the Earth at a velocity of 3000 km/s. What is the distance between the Earth and the galaxy? A 7.3 x 10^-25 m B 7.3 x 10^-22 m C 1.4 x 10^21 m D 1.4 x…

In which direction does the Sun appear to move every day, when viewed from the Earth? A east to west B north to south C south to north D west to east

A distant galaxy is moving away from the Milky Way at 4 400 000 m/s. What is the approximate distance between the Milky Way and this distant galaxy? A 2 x 10^12 m B 5 x 10^11 m C…

The orbit of Mercury is closer to the Sun than the orbit of the Earth is to the Sun. How do the values of the gravitational field strength of the Sun near Mercury and the orbital…

The Solar System includes the Sun and eight planets. State the name of the force that keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun.

Fig. 11.1 represents the Solar System. The Sun and five of the eight planets are labelled (Mercury, Earth, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). Complete the three missing labels on Fig. 11.1…

Fig. 11.1 represents the Solar System. The Sun and five of the eight planets are labelled (Mercury, Earth, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune). Complete the three missing labels on Fig.…

Jupiter and the Earth are planets in our Solar System. Describe the composition of Jupiter and the Earth.

Table 10.1 shows data for planets A, B, C and D. State and explain which one of these planets is closest to the Sun.

Define a light-year in words.

The Earth is a planet that orbits the Sun once in approximately 365 days. What does this enable us to explain? A the cycle of day and night B the cycle of phases of the moon C the…

What is a light-year? A the time for light to travel 1 km in space B the time for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth C the distance travelled in space by light in one year…

Which planet is classed as a rocky planet? A Jupiter B Saturn C Uranus D Venus

What is the cause of the phases of the Moon? A the movement of the Earth around the Sun B the movement of the Moon around the Sun C the movement of the Moon around the Earth D the…

What makes up the Universe? A many billions of galaxies B Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune only C the Sun, the Earth and the Moon only D the…

The nearest star to the Sun is 4 light-years away. A spaceship travels at 0.1% of the speed of light. What is the total time taken for a journey from the Sun to the star and back…

A planet in the Solar System is at the point in its orbit where it is closest to the Sun. Which row is correct? A orbital speed at its maximum; energy in gravitational potential…

A galaxy is 3.0 × 10²⁰ km from the Earth. At which speed is the galaxy moving away from the Earth? A 660 km/s B 6600 km/s C 660 m/s D 6600 m/s

The Earth orbits the Sun once in approximately 365 days. The average radius of the orbit is 1.5 × 10¹¹ m. What is the average orbital speed of the Earth? A 3.0 × 10⁴ m/s B 1.1 ×…

Which statement about the life cycle of a star is correct? A All stars eventually run out of hydrogen as fuel. B A red giant forms a planetary nebula with a supernova at its…

A galaxy at a distance of 3.1 × 10²¹ km is moving away from the Earth with a speed of 7000 km/s. What is the Hubble constant H0 calculated using this data and what is the speed of…

The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is 1.5 × 10¹¹ m. What is the orbital speed of the Earth? A 4.0 × 10⁵ km/day B 1.3 × 10⁶ km/day C 2.6 × 10⁶ km/day D 1.9 × 10¹⁴ km/day

In which order are the objects listed formed during the life cycle of a star? A protostar → red giant → supernova → stable star B protostar → stable star → red giant → supernova C…

What is the distance travelled by light in one year? A 5.9 × 10¹⁵ m B 5.9 × 10¹⁵ km C 9.5 × 10¹⁵ m D 9.5 × 10¹⁵ km

The Sun is the star in our Solar System. Eight planets orbit the Sun. State the names of two other categories of bodies in the Solar System.

The Solar System contains a number of objects. Some of these objects are listed: asteroids, planets, the Moon, the Sun. Write these objects in order of their size, from smallest…

The Solar System includes the Sun and planets. State two other types of natural object that orbit the Sun.

Name the galaxy that contains the Sun.

A galaxy is approximately 1.2 × 10²⁶ m from the Earth. Scientists observe light from the distant galaxy. The wavelength of the observed light is longer than the wavelength of the…

Which list gives the names of the planets in the correct order (from the Sun outwards)? A Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune B Mercury, Venus, Earth,…

Which row describes the Sun and the Milky Way? (Columns: the Sun; the Milky Way.) A the Sun a galaxy; the Milky Way a galaxy B the Sun a galaxy; the Milky Way a star C the Sun a…

The diagram shows part of a solar system. Body P is small and close to the central body R, body Q is a small object orbiting close to P, and R is the large central body, with…

The Solar System contains eight major planets. What is the correct order of three of the major planets, starting with the planet furthest from the Sun? A Mercury → Venus → Earth B…

The diagram shows a radio signal from the Earth being reflected by Pluto and returning to the Earth. The distance between the Earth and Pluto is 0.00050 light-years. What is the…

The Milky Way is a ......1...... made up of about a hundred ......2...... stars. Which words correctly complete gaps 1 and 2? A 1 galaxy; 2 billion B 1 universe; 2 billion C 1…

Which type of object rotates around the Sun with an elliptical orbit? A planet B galaxy C red giant D moon

Which statement about the Sun is correct? A The nuclear reactions in the Sun create mainly radio waves and microwaves. B The Sun is powered by fission reactions in which hydrogen…

To determine the value of the Hubble constant, an astronomer measures the distance of a galaxy from the Earth as 2.5 × 10²¹ km. She also measures the speed of recession of the…

What happens when a protostar becomes a stable star? A Most of the hydrogen is converted to helium and the protostar expands. B The inward force due to gravity is balanced by an…

The table gives information about some of the planets in our Solar System (planet; mass compared with the Earth; average density g/cm³; gravitational field strength at surface…

Which quantity is an estimate of the age of the Universe? (H₀ is the Hubble constant, d is distance, v is recession speed.) A H₀ B d × H₀ C 1 / H₀ D v × H₀

The table gives the orbital durations of planets in the Solar System (planet; orbital duration/days): Mercury 88; Venus 225; Earth 365; Mars 4330(... see paper); Jupiter 4330;…

The diameter of the Milky Way is approximately 100 000 light years. What is this distance in metres? A 9.5 × 10⁹ m B 9.5 × 10¹⁵ m C 9.5 × 10¹⁷ m D 9.5 × 10²⁰ m

Fig. 11.1 represents the planets in the Solar System (not to scale), shown in order out from the edge of the Sun. Some planets are labelled (Venus, Earth, Uranus, Neptune) and…

Fig. 11.1 represents part of the Solar System (not to scale), showing the Sun and labelled planets Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, plus two unlabelled planets X…

Fig. 11.1 shows the Moon orbiting the Earth. State the name of the force that keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth.

The Milky Way is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. State what is meant by a galaxy.

State the name of one planet that has an orbit further away from the Sun than Venus.

Stars more massive than the Sun can eventually form black holes. Describe how a black hole can be formed from a more massive star.

Fig. 12.1 represents the Earth and the Sun at one point in the Earth's orbit of the Sun, showing the night side and day side of the Earth and the Earth's axis. Explain the…

Fig. 11.1 shows the Sun and the four innermost planets, A, B, C, and D, of the Solar System (in order of increasing distance from the Sun). In Table 11.1, write the names of the…

Fig. 10.1 represents part of the Solar System (Sun, planet A, Venus, Earth, planet B, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). State the name of planet A and the name of planet B.

Pluto is a dwarf planet. Fig. 10.1 shows the direction of motion of Pluto as it follows its elliptical orbit around the Sun. Point X is the point in the orbit closest to the Sun…

State the equation that defines the average orbital speed v of a planet. State the meaning of any symbols you use.

Fig. 9.1 shows the Sun (central dot) and the planets Saturn, Jupiter and Earth labelled S0, J0 and E0. The planets orbit the Sun anticlockwise; from the Earth's orbit the planets…

Show that 1 light-year = 9.5 × 10¹⁵ m.

Fig. 11.1 represents the Sun and part of the Solar System (not to scale). Mercury and Mars are labelled; three other bodies are unlabelled (one near Mercury, one near the Sun, and…

There are eight planets in our Solar System. Table 12.1 shows the names of some of the planets in order of distance from the Sun: Mercury, ..., Jupiter, ..., Neptune (in order of…

Fig. 11.1 represents the Earth in orbit around the Sun, separated by a distance of 1.5 × 10¹¹ m. State the name of the force that keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun.

The Milky Way is one of many billions of galaxies. Each galaxy contains many billions of stable stars. Stable stars transfer energy into space by emitting electromagnetic…

Table 9.1 gives information about three planets in the Solar System (mass /10²⁴ kg, average distance from Sun /10⁶ km, orbital period /days, gravitational field strength at…

Complete the sentences about the life cycle of stars. Protostars are formed from ..................

State what is represented in space physics by the symbol H0.