Space physics — IGCSE Physics (0972) questions by topic
Space physics questions define the Hubble constant, identify what redshift in a distant galaxy's light actually means, state and explain which of four planets sits closest to the Sun using given data, and complete statements about the Sun's composition. Identify, calculate, state, explain and complete are the command words, and explain wants the physical reasoning behind a choice, not just the correct option circled.
55 real questions from 2023 to 2025 papers sit on this page, worth 1 to 10 marks. Because redshift and orbital reasoning rest on precise definitions, submitting your explanations for instant marking flags whether you've stated the correct relationship, such as recession speed against distance, rather than a loosely related fact.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
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 --- ------------------…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
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…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about the Universe is correct? A The Universe consists of 100000 galaxies. B Redshift is a decrease in the observed wavelength of electromagnetic radiation emitted…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
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…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 32
Fig. 11.1 represents the Solar System. The Sun and five of the eight planets are labelled. Fig. 11.1 (not to scale) shows the Sun with planets on orbital arcs. Five planets are…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 42
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.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 11
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…
Answer this question and get it marked →The radius of the orbit of Venus around the Sun is 110 × 10⁶ km. The radius of the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is 150 × 10⁶ km. The speed of light is 0.30 × 10⁶ km/s. How…
Answer this question and get it marked →What are the three main types of radiation emitted by the Sun? A infrared, radio waves and ultraviolet B infrared, visible light and ultraviolet C microwaves, visible light and…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 12
Which planet is classed as a rocky planet? A Jupiter B Saturn C Uranus D Venus
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →The Sun mostly consists of which gases? A helium and hydrogen B helium and nitrogen C hydrogen and oxygen D oxygen and nitrogen
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 21
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; gravitational potential store: at…
Answer this question and get it marked →What is the main process that powers the Sun? A burning of helium and oxygen B burning of hydrogen and oxygen C nuclear fusion of hydrogen to form helium D nuclear fission of…
Answer this question and get it marked →A galaxy is 3.0 × 10²⁰ km from the Earth. At which speed is the galaxy moving away from the Earth? (Using the Hubble constant H0 ≈ 2.2 × 10⁻¹⁸ /s.) A 660 km/s B 6600 km/s C 660…
Answer this question and get it marked →An astronomer observes a distant galaxy. The table shows how the distance and the speed of recession of the galaxy are determined. Which row is correct? A distance: brightness of…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 22
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 ×…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →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…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 31
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.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 32
Table 11.1 shows information about two planets: planet mass / kg distance from the Sun / km time for one rotation on its axis / hours --- --- --- --- Venus 4.87 × 10²⁴ 108.2 × 10⁶…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 41
The Sun is one of many billions of stars in the Milky Way. The Sun emits a very large quantity of energy as electromagnetic radiation. State the three regions of the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 11
Which planet in our Solar System is nearest to the Sun and what is the nature of the planet? A Mercury, rocky B Mercury, gaseous C Venus, rocky D Venus, gaseous
Answer this question and get it marked →The Sun consists mostly of two elements. What are these two elements? A helium and nitrogen B hydrogen and helium C hydrogen and oxygen D oxygen and nitrogen
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about the Milky Way is correct? A It is a galaxy. B It is a group of galaxies. C It is a group of stars outside our own galaxy. D It is a group of stars which are…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
Which statement about the Solar System is correct? A All the planets are rocky. B Only the Earth has a moon. C Pluto is a dwarf planet. D There are many stars in the Solar System.
Answer this question and get it marked →The graph shows the energy radiated by the Sun at different wavelengths. Most of the energy is radiated in just three parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, labelled P, Q and R,…
Answer this question and get it marked →An astronomer observes redshift in the light from a distant galaxy. Which statement about redshift is correct? A It is the decrease in the observed wavelength of red light emitted…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 21
Which planet in our Solar System is nearest to the Sun and what is the nature of the planet? A Mercury, rocky B Mercury, gaseous C Venus, rocky D Venus, gaseous
Answer this question and get it marked →A space station orbits the Earth at a distance of 7000 km from the Earth's centre. It makes 15 orbits in every 24-hour period. What is the speed of the space station in its orbit?…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which nuclear reaction powers a stable star? A nuclear fission of nuclei producing hydrogen B nuclear fission of a uranium nucleus into a krypton nucleus and a barium nucleus C…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which stages in the life cycle of a star are listed in the order that they occur? A interstellar dust cloud → stable star → protostar B protostar → red giant → stable star C red…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 22
Which statement about the Solar System is correct? A All the planets are rocky. B Only the Earth has a moon. C Pluto is a dwarf planet. D There are many stars in the Solar System.
Answer this question and get it marked →Comets are bodies which orbit the Sun in the Solar System. What is the shape of the orbit and how is the Sun positioned within the orbit? A shape: circular; Sun: centre of orbit B…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which nuclear reaction produces the release of energy to power a star? A nuclear fission of helium into hydrogen B nuclear fission of hydrogen into helium C nuclear fusion of…
Answer this question and get it marked →What is the definition of the Hubble constant? A the ratio of the speed at which a galaxy is receding from the Earth to its distance from the Earth B the value of the change in…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 31
Fig. 12.1 represents the Earth and the Sun at one point in the Earth's orbit of the Sun, with the day and night sides and the Earth's axis marked. Explain the apparent daily…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 32
Fig. 11.1 shows the Sun and the four innermost planets, A, B, C and D, of the Solar System, in order of distance from the Sun. In Table 11.1, write the names of the innermost…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 41
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…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 42
State the equation that defines the average orbital speed v of a planet. State the meaning of any symbols you use.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
Which planet orbits the Sun between Mars and Saturn? A Earth B Jupiter C Mercury D Neptune
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about the Sun is correct? A The Sun is a dwarf star consisting mostly of hydrogen and oxygen. B The Sun is a giant star consisting mostly of helium and carbon…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which quantity does a light-year measure? A an angle B a distance C a speed D a time
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 21
It is summer in the northern hemisphere of the Earth in June. Which statement explains why? A The Earth is closer to the Sun in June. B The Earth spins on its axis in the opposite…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which statement about the Sun is correct? A The Sun is a dwarf star consisting mostly of hydrogen and oxygen. B The Sun is a giant star consisting mostly of helium and carbon…
Answer this question and get it marked →The table lists some information about some stars. name of star type of star temperature / °C --- --- --- Aldebaran red giant 3 700 Betelgeuse red supergiant 3 300 Geminga neutron…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 31
Fig. 11.1 represents the Sun and part of the Solar System, with Mercury and Mars labelled and three other bodies to be named. Complete the labels on Fig. 11.1 by writing on the…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 41
The Milky Way is one of many billions of galaxies, each containing many billions of stable stars. Stable stars transfer energy into space by emitting electromagnetic radiation…
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Physics topics
- Motion, forces and energy (206)
- Electricity and magnetism (193)
- Waves (152)
- Thermal physics (107)
- Nuclear physics (89)
- Practical skills (30)