Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites (physics only)
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The Sun is at the centre of our solar system.

a.

What type of object is the Sun?

[1]
b.

What is the name of the galaxy that our solar system is part of?

[1]
c.

Table 1 gives information about some of the moons in our solar system.

MoonRadius in kilometres
Ganymede263026302630
Triton135013501350
Phobos111111

What is a moon?

[1]
d.

A student researched the radius of some other objects in the solar system:

  • Radius of dwarf planet Pluto = 1190 km1190\text{ km}1190 km
  • Radius of planet Mercury = 2440 km2440\text{ km}2440 km

The student made the following conclusions:

  • Conclusion 1: Moons are always smaller than dwarf planets.
  • Conclusion 2: Planets are always larger than moons.

Give one reason why each of the student's conclusions is wrong. Use the data given above and in Table 1.

[2]

Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites (physics only) Questions

Practise AQA GCSE Physics Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites (physics only) with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 27 questions covering Our solar system, The life cycle of a star, and Orbital motion, natural and artificial satellites, matched to the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.

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Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites (physics only) Questions

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