Exploring Our Cosmic Neighborhood

Name:

Date:

🌌 Part 1: Understanding Our Universe

1. What is the Big Bang theory?

A theory that explains how stars explode

The leading explanation of how the universe began

A theory about how planets form

The way galaxies crash into each other

2. What is a galaxy?

A single star in space

A large collection of billions of stars

A planet that orbits the Sun

A small group of asteroids

3. Which of these statements about the universe are true? (Check all that apply)

The universe is about 13.8 billion years old

Our galaxy is called the Milky Way

Earth is the only planet in our solar system

There are billions of galaxies in the universe

4. Fill in the blanks using the words: solar system, galaxy, universe

Earth is part of our _____________, which is part of the Milky Way _____________, which is part of the _____________.

5. Describe what a star is in your own words:

6. Why do you think it's important for scientists to study the universe? Give at least two reasons:

7. One new cosmic fact I learned today:

8. One question I still have about the universe:

9. If you could travel anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why?