NCERT 6th Class (CBSE) Social Science: The Earth in the Solar System

Question: How is a comet different from an asteroid?

Answer: Asteroid:

1. These are rocks and debris of probably an exploded planet.
2. Most of these chunks are vary in size.
3. Ceres is the largest asteroid.
4. They are found between mars and Jupiter.

Comet:

1. Comets are found revolving around the sun.
2. Halley’s comet is a famous comet.
3. It appears after every 76 years.

Question:Explain what a meteorite is.

Answer: Meteorite that enters the atmosphere and hit the surface and make craters. The largest crater made by a meteorite is in the state of Arizona. It measures 1.200 m across and 170 m deep.

Question: Explain the phases of the moon with the help of suitable diagram.

Answer: Phases of the moon refers to the different shapes the moon we see at night. The moon takes about 28 days to go around the earth. The shape of the moon grows during one half of this period which is called waxing period and reduces during the other half, which is called the warning period.

1. In its journey from new moon to full moon the increasing portion is said to wax.
2. In its journey from full moon to new moon the decreasing portion is said to wane.
3. Waxing and waning of the moon is called phases of the moon.
4. In fact the moon is always half dark half bright, but the angle of view keeps changing from earth.
5. On the new moon day, the dark hemisphere of the moon faces the earth whereas on the full moon day the bright hemisphere visible to use.

Question: Name the planets according to their increasing size.

Answer: The planets according to their distance from the sun are:

1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune