The Vast Scale of Space · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Vast Scale of Space

Science · Space Exploration · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which is bigger: our solar system or our galaxy?

    • Our solar system
    • Our galaxy
    • They are the same size

  2. What is the name of the galaxy we live in?

    • Milky Way
    • Andromeda
    • Solar System

  3. Our Sun is the only star inside the Milky Way galaxy.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. If the Sun were shrunk to the size of a football, Earth would be a tiny peppercorn about how far away?

    • 2 metres
    • 26 metres
    • 260 metres

  5. Which order goes correctly from smallest to largest?

    • Planet, solar system, galaxy, universe
    • Galaxy, planet, solar system, universe
    • Universe, galaxy, solar system, planet

  6. You keep zooming out past the Milky Way galaxy. What do you reach next?

    • The universe
    • Another planet
    • The solar system

  7. Which path correctly goes from where you stand out to the whole universe?

    • Earth, Milky Way, solar system, universe
    • Earth, universe, Milky Way, solar system
    • Earth, solar system, Milky Way, universe

  8. Mia says, 'The universe is just a small part inside our Milky Way galaxy.' What is wrong with what she said?

    • Nothing, that is correct
    • It is backwards: the Milky Way is one galaxy inside the much bigger universe
    • The universe is actually a planet
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_aulwq39aj8-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Vast Scale of Space W1-mt_aulwq39aj8-s1

  1. Our galaxy · A galaxy holds billions of stars and their solar systems, so it is far bigger than one solar system.
  2. Milky Way · Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. Andromeda is a different galaxy far away.
  3. False · The Milky Way holds billions of stars. The Sun is just one of them.
  4. 26 metres · On that shrunk-down scale, tiny Earth sits about 26 metres from the football-sized Sun, showing how much empty space is between them.
  5. Planet, solar system, galaxy, universe · Each step holds the one before it: a planet sits in a solar system, which sits in a galaxy, which sits in the universe.
  6. The universe · The galaxy is inside the universe, which holds billions of other galaxies too.
  7. Earth, solar system, Milky Way, universe · Starting from Earth, you zoom out through the solar system, then the galaxy (Milky Way), and finally reach the universe.
  8. It is backwards: the Milky Way is one galaxy inside the much bigger universe · Mia has it backwards. The Milky Way is one galaxy among billions that make up the universe, not the other way around.
Worksheet · LightMySky