
Which planet is closest to the Earth?
-
The Moon
No. The Moon is not a planet. -
Mars
Sometimes, but not always. -
Venus
Sometimes, but not always. -
It varies with time.
Yes. As the planets move around the Sun, their distance from the Earth varies. On different dates, the closest planet may be Mars, Venus, or Mercury.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.5.E.5.2 Recognize the major common characteristics of all planets and compare/contrast the properties of inner and outer planets.
>>> Teacher Page: Our Solar System
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
Planets and Pennies | video, ClosedCaptions |
Review Space-4 | practice |
SC.8.E.5.7 Compare and contrast the properties of objects in the Solar System including the Sun, planets, and moons to those of Earth, such as gravitational force, distance from the Sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions.
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
Global Science | video, ClosedCaptions |
Planets and Pennies | video, ClosedCaptions |
Review Space-4 | practice |
Review Space-11 | practice |
Utah
UT.6.III.1.c Use models and graphs that accurately depict scale to compare the size and distance between objects in the solar system.
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
How Far is That Planet? | text page |
Review Space-4 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS1-3 Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
Global Science | video, ClosedCaptions |
Planets and Pennies | video, ClosedCaptions |
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
How Far is That Planet? | text page |
Review Space-3 | practice |
Review Space-2 | practice |
Review Space-4 | practice |