Space physics — IGCSE Science - Combined (0653) questions by topic
Naming planets and stages of a star's life cycle, locating the Sun within the galaxy, and calculating orbital radius from period and speed define this topic: working out which planet sits between Earth and Jupiter, and identifying which stars pass through a supernova stage. Name, calculate and state lead the command words, and calculate expects the orbit formula applied correctly to given period and speed values.
All 10 real questions are drawn from 2025 papers and carry 1 to 10 marks, mixing single-mark identification with multi-step orbital calculations. Practising under instant marking suits this topic well, since a mixed-up unit in an orbital-radius calculation, such as hours left unconverted to seconds, is caught immediately rather than repeated.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
What is a description of the Sun and what does the Sun mostly consist of? description mostly consists of --- --- --- A small mass star hydrogen and helium B small mass star…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
What causes a protostar to form from an interstellar cloud of gas and dust? A gravitational attraction B infrared radiation C supernova explosion D thermal convection
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
How many stars are there in the Solar System? A 1 B 2 C 8 D 9
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
What is a possible set of stages in the life cycle of stars? A protostar → black hole → red supergiant B protostar → interstellar cloud of gas and dust → new stars C supernova →…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
An object orbits a planet. The period of the orbit is 8.0 hours. The speed of the object is 2.0 km/s. What is the radius of the orbit? A 1.5 × 10^5 m B 9.2 × 10^6 m C 2.9 × 10^7 m…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
The life cycle of a star depends on whether it has a small mass, a large mass or a very large mass. Which stars have a supernova as one of the later stages in their life cycles? A…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 32
Fig. 9.1 is a drawing of our galaxy showing the approximate location of the Sun. The galaxy is drawn as a spiral disc of stars seen at an angle; a label line marked 'the Sun'…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 33
Fig. 9.1 shows a large telescope used for studying the Solar System. Fig. 9.2 shows the Sun and the eight planets in the Solar System (not to scale), with the Sun, Earth and…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 42
Complete the sentence about the Solar System. The Sun contains most of the .......... of the Solar System and this explains why the planets orbit the Sun.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 43
State the approximate age of the Universe.
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Science - Combined topics
- Practical skills (96)
- Motion, forces and energy (53)
- Electricity and magnetism (38)
- Waves (32)
- Human nutrition (23)
- Acids, bases and salts (22)
- Organisms and their environment (21)
- Organic chemistry (21)
- Reproduction (20)
- Thermal physics (20)
- Plant nutrition (19)
- The Periodic Table (18)