Beyond Earth Class 6 Questions and Answers NCERT Solutions
Class 6 Science Chapter 12 Beyond Earth Question Answer
Let Us Enhance Our Learning
Question 1.
Match the Columns.
Answer:
| Column I | Column I |
| (i) Satellite of Earth | (d) Moon |
| (ii) Red planet | (c) Mars |
| (iii) Constellation | (a) Orion |
| (iv) Planet which is commonly called an evening star | (b) Venus |
Question 2.
(i) Solve the following riddle.
My first alphabet is in MAN but not in CAN
My second alphabet is in ACE and also in FAN
My third alphabet is in RAT but not in CAT
My fourth alphabet is in SUN but not in FUN
I am a planet that moves around the Sun.
Answer:
Mars
(ii) Make two similar riddles by yourself.
Answer:
(a) My first alphabet is in MAKE but not in CAKE My second alphabet is in BOWL and also in ROPE My third alphabet is same as second.
My fourth alphabet is in NOW and also in NEVER I am Earth’s natural satellite.
Answer:
Moon
(b) My first alphabet is in EGG and also in PEN My second alphabet is in ACE and also in FAN My third alphabet is in RAT but not in CAT My fourth alphabet is in TOY but not in BOY My fifth alphabet is in HEN but not in MEN I am a planet that moves around the Sun.
Answer:
Earth
Question 3.
Which of the following is not a member of our solar system?
(i) Sirius
(ii) Comets
(iii) Asteroids
(iv) Pluto
Answer:
(i) Sirius
Question 4.
Which of the following is not a planet of the Sun?
(i) Jupiter
(ii) Pluto
(iii) Neptune
(iv) Saturn
Answer:
(ii) Pluto
Question 5.
Which is the brighter star, the Pole star or sirius?
Answer:
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.
Question 6.
An artist’s representation of the solar system is given in the figure. Is the order of the planets correct? If not, write the correct order in the boxes in the figure.
Answer:
The correct sequence is as follows: 1,3,2,4,5,7,6,8
Question 7.
A portion of night sky with stars is shown in the figure. Look carefully and identify the groups of stars that form the patterns-the Big dipper and the Little dipper. Draw lines to connect the stars for these patterns and label them. Also, identify and label the Pole star.
Answer:
Question 8.
A portion of the night sky is shown in the figure. Draw lines to connect the stars for Orion and label the star Sirius.
Answer:
Question 9.
You can see stars fading away at dawn and appearing at dusk. During the day, we do not see the stars. Explain why.
Answer:
During day-time, due to the extreme brightness of the Sun, it is not possible to view the other stars. That is why, stars appear to fade away as soon as the sun rises and then appear at dusk when the sun sets.
Question 10.
During a clear night, try to observe the Big dipper 3-4 times at an interval of 2 to 3 h Also try to locate the Pole star each time. Does the Big dipper appear to move? Draw a rough sketch to illustrate this, mentioning the time in each case.
Answer:
You will find that the Big Dipper appears to move in the sky from East to West.
Question 11.
Think about the night sky and write a poem or a story on it.
Answer:
Today I saw a comet while watching the night sky. I told my grandparents about this episode and to this, they reply it is a messenger of disaster like pandemic or flood.
But these are all myths and superstition, As I learned in my institution.
Appearance of a comet is a natural phenomenon. We have no reason to be afraid of this Grandma.
NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 12 Beyond Earth
Intext Questions
Question 1.
Do we find patterns among the stars just for fun or is there some use of these patterns? (Page 233)
Answer:
Finding patterns among the stars is not just for fun, it helps people in finding directions. Before the arrival of modern technology or even before the invention of the magnetic compass, recognising stars and their patterns was a useful skill for navigation. It is still used in emergencies as a backup method.
Question 2.
How can we identify some of these constellations in the night sky? (Page 235)
Answer:
To identify the constellation in the night sky.
(i) The Big dipper (Part of Ursa Major) Look far a group of seven bright stars that form a shape like a spoon or a ladle. The handle points towards the North star.
(ii) The Little dipper (Part of Ursa Minor) Point yourself north with aid of a compass. The northern sky in home to the little dipper along with its major outlying stars. Look for a similar pattern of star like the Big dipper with imaginary line joining to the Pole star. Once you find polaris you can easily find the little dipper because polaris is located at the end of the Little dipper’s handle.
Question 3.
Can we’try to find any constellation or star of our choice on any night from our location? (Page 236)
Answer:
Not all stars and constellations are visible from all places on Earth and on all nights in a year. e.g. The Pole star is not visible from the Southern hemisphere of Earth.
Question 4.
Which star is closest to us? (Page 238)
Answer:
Sun is the closest star to us.
Question 5.
Our Sun is also a star, so how is it that the Sun appears big and lights up the sky while the other stars look like bright dots in the night sky and are not even visible during the day-time? (Page 239)
Answer:
The Sun is much closer to us than the other stars, hence it appears much bigger than the stars. As the other stars are much farther away, they appear like bright dots in the night sky. During day-time, due to the extreme brightness of the Sun, it is not possible to view the other stars.
Question 6.
Are stars the only objects in the sky or are there more objects which we may not have noticed? (Page 240)
Answer:
No, stars are not the only objects in the sky. There are many more objects in the sky such as planets, satellites, asteroids and comets.
Question 7.
Can we identify a planet also, the way we identified the constellations? (Page 242)
Answer:
We can identify some of the planets. e.g. Venus is easiest to identify as it is very bright. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can also be seen with the naked eye. They are so far away that they look like shining dots, just like stars.
Question 8.
How can we see the planets which are not visible to the naked eye? (Page 243)
Answer:
A telescope helps us to see those planets which are not visible to the naked eye.
Question 9.
We know that planets move around the Sun. Are there any objects that move around planets? (Page 243)
Answer:
Yes, there exist some objects that move around the planets. They are commonly called satellites.
Question 10.
What is beyond the solar system? (Page 246)
Answer:
eyond the solar system is our home galaxy called the Milky Way Galaxy or Akasha Ganga. Our solar system is a part of the Milky-Way galaxy.
Question 11.
What is beyond the Milky-Way galaxy? (Page 247)
Answer:
There are many galaxies in the outer space beyond the Milky-Way galaxy which constitutes the whole universe.
Question 12.
Is there life anywhere else in the universe? (Page 247)
Answer:
We do not know yet if life exists elsewhere in the universe. Till now, scientists have not found any evidence of life but this search is going on.
Let’s Investigate
Activity 1 (Page 232)
Aim To make patterns by looking at the picture of a part of the night sky.
Procedure and Observations
1. The given figure shows bright stars in one part of the night sky.
2. Look at it carefully and try to imagine a pattern formed by a group of stars.
3. Draw lines to connect the stars and make the pattern.
4. Think of an animal, object or a familiar thing that is similar to the pattern drawn by you. Write its name near your pattern.
5. Repeat the above steps and make some more patterns.
6. Now, think of an interesting story about your patterns.
7. Compare your patterns, their names and stories with those made by your friends.
8. You will observe that everyone’s patterns, names and stories are different.
One such pattern and story related to it is given below
The bottom four stars on the left are assumed to be a “grandmother’s cot” with the three thieves (other three stars) stealing it.
The fisherman along the Konkan Coast imagime the four stars as a boat with the last three stars as the neck of the boat.
(Patterns and stories related to them may vary)
Viva Questions
1. What are the general names given to these patterns?
2. Which pattern lies in the constellation Ursa Major?
Activity 2 (Page 238)
Aim : To identify the Big dipper and locate the Pole star in the night sky.
Procedure and Observations :
- Look for the Big dipper during summer time in the early part of the night say, around 9 pm .
- View the sky above the horizon towards the Northern part of the sky and identify the Big dipper.
- Once you identify the Big dipper, try to locate the Pole star.
- Look at the two stars present at the end of the Big dipper’s cup and imagine a straight line passing through these towards the North (as shown in the figure).
- At about five times the distance between these two stars, the imaginary line will lead to another star which is not very bright. This star is the Pole star.
Viva Questions :
1. In India, what is the other name for Pole star?
2. In which direction, the pole star appears stationary?
Activity 3 (Page 238) :
Aim To locate a constellation Orion and a very bright star, Sirius.
Procedure and Observations
1. Look for the Orion during the months of December to April after sunset.
2. Try to identify three bright stars in a short straight line.
3. These are located around the middle of Orion (imagined to be the belt of a hunter).
4. Once you identify Orion, it is easy to locate the very bright star Sirius which is located close to Orion.
5. Imagine a straight line passing through the three middle stars of Orion and look along this line towards the East (as shown in the figure). This will lead to a very bright star, Sirius.
Viva Questions :
1. What does the constellation Orion often represent?
2. Name the constellation of which the bright star Sirius is a part?
Actlvity 5 (Page 243)
Aim To identify and locate Venus in the night sky.
Procedure and Observations :
- Venus can be located either at dawn or at dusk.
- When you are viewing at dawn look for it near the Eastern direction before sunrise.
- When you are viewing at dusk, look for it near the Western direction after sunset.
- You can see it brighter and larger using a pair of binoculars or a telescope.
Viva Questions :
1. How can we see the planets which are not visible to the naked eye?
2. How can we distinguish between a planet and a star?
Do It Yourself (DIY)
To understand that the Pole star is situated in the direction of the Earth’s axis and it does not appear to move.