Planet Quest: Explore the Solar System!

1. Which planet rotates on its side, making its seasons extreme?
   1. Jupiter
   2. Neptune
   3. Saturn
   4. Uranus
2. Which planet has the longest day (rotation period) longer than its year?
   1. Mercury
   2. Venus
   3. Mars
   4. Earth
3. Which planet has a moon so large it could be considered a dwarf planet if it orbited the Sun?
   1. Mars
   2. Earth
   3. Jupiter
   4. Saturn
4. Which planet's Great Red Spot is a giant storm that has lasted for centuries?
   1. Neptune
   2. Saturn
   3. Jupiter
   4. Uranus
5. Which planet is known for having the densest atmosphere of the terrestrial planets?
   1. Venus
   2. Earth
   3. Mars
   4. Mercury
6. Which planet completes one orbit around the Sun in about 165 Earth years?
   1. Uranus
   2. Neptune
   3. Pluto
   4. Saturn
7. Which planet's rings were first observed in 1610 and later revealed to be multiple thin rings?
   1. Neptune
   2. Jupiter
   3. Uranus
   4. Saturn

Answers and explanations

1. Question: Which planet rotates on its side, making its seasons extreme?
   Answer: Uranus
   Explanation: Uranus tilts about 98°, so its poles sometimes point almost directly at the Sun, causing very long seasons; people often guess Neptune or Saturn, but their tilts are much smaller.
2. Question: Which planet has the longest day (rotation period) longer than its year?
   Answer: Venus
   Explanation: Venus rotates very slowly and in the opposite direction, so a single rotation takes longer than one orbit; Mercury is often mistaken because of its odd resonance, but its day is shorter than its year.
3. Question: Which planet has a moon so large it could be considered a dwarf planet if it orbited the Sun?
   Answer: Earth
   Explanation: Our Moon is unusually large relative to Earth and rivals dwarf planets in size; people sometimes think of Pluto or Ganymede, but those are different cases.
4. Question: Which planet's Great Red Spot is a giant storm that has lasted for centuries?
   Answer: Jupiter
   Explanation: Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a high-pressure storm observed for over 300 years; Saturn has storms too, but none as long-lived or famous.
5. Question: Which planet is known for having the densest atmosphere of the terrestrial planets?
   Answer: Venus
   Explanation: Venus has a thick CO2 atmosphere with crushing pressure and a strong greenhouse effect; Earth has a much thinner, life-supporting atmosphere, so it's not correct.
6. Question: Which planet completes one orbit around the Sun in about 165 Earth years?
   Answer: Neptune
   Explanation: Neptune orbits far from the Sun and takes ~165 years to complete one orbit; Pluto is slower on average but is a dwarf planet, not a major planet.
7. Question: Which planet's rings were first observed in 1610 and later revealed to be multiple thin rings?
   Answer: Saturn
   Explanation: Galileo first saw Saturn's rings in 1610 (though he couldn't resolve them clearly); people sometimes think Jupiter has rings, but Saturn's are the most prominent and were the earliest noticed.