GK Questions On Solar System With Answers

Have you ever looked into the stars in the night sky and asked yourself questions like “What else is out there?” The universe or our solar system consists of eight planets that go round a very big and bright star called the Sun. Each of these planets has its own moons and is made up of gases that form the atmosphere of that particular planet. But now here comes the point of discussion. Can you answer all the questions related to our solar system?

GK Quiz On Solar System

Here are 20 multiple-choice questions on the solar system:

Q1. Which planet is the closest to the Sun in our solar system?

a) Venus

b) Mercury

c) Mars

Ans.: b) Mercury

Explanation: It is known that Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun; therefore, one would assume that this makes Mercury the hottest planet, which is not true! This planet revolves around the sun in just 88 days.

Q2. What is famously known as the hottest planet in our solar system?

a) Mercury

b) Venus

c) Jupiter

Ans.: b) Venus

Explanation: Despite being closer to the sun, Venus is actually much hotter than Mercury. The reason behind this phenomenon is the extremely dense atmosphere of Venus that is rich in carbon dioxide gas. This serves as a blanket trapping the heat within.

Q3. Which planet is nicknamed the "Red Planet" because of its reddish soil?

a) Mars

b) Saturn

c) Neptune

Ans.: a) Mars

Explanation: Mars appears red even from Earth due to the presence of iron oxide in its soil. This is simply another name for rust. Many robots in space are currently being sent to Mars to find out whether water ever existed on Mars.

Q4. Which planet is the biggest of them all, weighing more than double all the other planets combined?

a) Saturn

b) Neptune

c) Jupiter

Ans.: c) Jupiter

Explanation: Jupiter is an absolute giant. It is a gas giant planet, meaning it doesn't have a solid ground you could walk on. It is so big that over 1,300 Earths could fit inside it easily!

Q5. Which planet is famously known for having the most beautiful and brightest rings around it?

a) Uranus

b) Saturn

c) Jupiter

Ans.: b) Saturn

Explanation: Other planets have rings too, but Saturn's rings are the most spectacular. These rings are not solid hoops; they are actually made of billions of pieces of ice, rocks, and dust floating together in space.

Q6. Which unique planet spins completely on its side, making it look like a rolling ball?

a) Uranus

b) Neptune

c) Mercury

Ans.: a) Uranus

Explanation: Most planets spin like top toys, but Uranus is tilted so much that it actually rolls on its side as it goes around the sun. Scientists think a huge space rock crashed into it long ago and knocked it over.

Q7. What are the two main gases that make up almost the entire Sun?

a) Oxygen and Nitrogen

b) Hydrogen and Helium

c) Carbon Dioxide and Methane

Ans.: b) Hydrogen and Helium

Explanation: The sun is a giant ball of burning gas, mostly hydrogen. The extreme pressure turns hydrogen into helium through a process that creates a massive amount of light and heat, which keeps us warm on Earth.

Q8. What is the name of the biggest moon in our entire solar system, which belongs to Jupiter?

a) Titan

b) Ganymede

c) The Moon

Ans.: b) Ganymede

Explanation: Ganymede is the largest moon, which is even larger than the planet Mercury. If it were revolving around the Sun rather than Jupiter, Ganymede would have been considered a separate planet.

Q9. Which planet is often called Earth's twin because they are almost the exact same size?

a) Mars

b) Venus

c) Neptune

Ans.: b) Venus

Explanation: Venus has many features that resemble Earth's when considering their sizes and masses. However, it differs entirely from the Earth in terms of its internal environment, which consists of poisonous gases and extremely high temperatures.

Q10. What is the name of the huge, stormy red spot that has been swirling on Jupiter for hundreds of years?

a) The Great Red Spot

b) The Giant Eye

c) The Crimson Storm

Ans.: a) The Great Red Spot

Explanation: It is known as the Great Red Spot, which is a huge hurricane twice the size of Earth. This hurricane has been going on since people began using telescopes to study Jupiter many years ago.

Q11. Which celestial object was changed from a regular planet to a "dwarf planet" in the year 2006?

a) Pluto

b) Ceres

c) Eris

Ans.: a) Pluto

Explanation: For many years, children have been taught that there were nine planets, one of which was Pluto. However, the scientists concluded that Pluto was too small and too many asteroids travelled on its path to be categorised as a planet.

Q12. Where is the main Asteroid Belt located in our solar system?

a) Between Earth and Mars

b) Between Mars and Jupiter

c) Beyond Neptune

Ans.: b) Between Mars and Jupiter

Explanation: This belt of asteroids is actually a giant ring consisting of millions of rock bodies that have remained after the formation of the Solar System. It represents a definite border between the rocky inner planets and the gas giants.

Q13. Which gas gives Uranus and Neptune their beautiful blue and cyan colours?

a) Oxygen

b) Methane

c) Hydrogen

Ans.: b) Methane

Explanation: Both of these chilly outer planets have methane gas in their atmospheres. Methane absorbs the red light coming from the distant sun and reflects back a lovely blue colour to our eyes.

Q14. Roughly how long does it take for light from the Sun to travel through space and reach Earth?

a) 8 seconds

b) 8 minutes

c) 8 hours

Ans.: b) 8 minutes

Explanation: Space is very vast! Though light travels at the speediest rate in the universe, the distance covered by sunlight in travelling from the sun to earth is such that it takes 8 minutes 20 seconds.

Q15. Which planet has the fastest and most violent winds in the solar system, reaching up to 2,000 kilometres per hour?

a) Jupiter

b) Saturn

c) Neptune

Ans.: c) Neptune

Explanation: Neptune is the most distant planet from the Sun, and it is one of the darkest and coldest planets. It seems strange that despite having minimal solar energy input, Neptune has the wildest and fastest winds ever recorded.

Q16. How many moons does the planet Mars have orbiting around it?

a) Zero

b) Two

c) One

Ans.: b) Two

Explanation: While Earth has only one moon, Mars has two tiny ones named Phobos and Deimos. They look like lumpy potatoes because they don't have enough gravity to pull themselves into perfect ball shapes.

Q17. Which planet has the largest volcano in the solar system, called Olympus Mons?

a) Mars

b) Earth

c) Venus

Ans.: a) Mars

Explanation: Olympus Mons is a giant volcano on Mars. It is thrice the height of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. It grew so huge due to the lack of moving tectonic plates on Mars unlike on Earth.

Q18. What keeps all the planets stuck in their orbits around the Sun instead of flying off into deep space?

a) Magnetism

b) Gravity

c) Solar Wind

Ans.: b) Gravity

Explanation: Gravity is an invisible force that tends to pull things. Since the sun is very heavy, the force of its gravity pulls on the planets. Gravity ties them together in circles around the sun.

Q19. Which moon is famous for having thick clouds and liquid lakes of methane on its surface?

a) Titan

b) Europa

c) Lo

Ans.: a) Titan

Explanation: Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is the only moon in our solar system that possesses a dense atmosphere. Titan has clouds, rainfall, and lakes, but not with water; rather, it consists of freezing chemicals!

Q20. Which two planets in our solar system have absolutely zero moons?

a) Mercury and Venus

b) Mars and Mercury

c) Venus and Mars

Ans.: a) Mercury and Venus

Explanation: There are one or more moons present in most planets; however, there are none for either Mercury or Venus. The reason for this is that they are very close to the Sun, which has enough gravitational force to remove the Moon from them.