Planet V

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/planet-v

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the hypothetical planet type?Terrestrial planet
2. What is the proposed orbital zone?Between Mars and the main asteroid belt
3. Why do scientists think Planet V could have existed?Computer simulations show that a planet could have formed there and later become unstable because of Jupiter and Saturn's gravity.
4. How could Planet V have affected the early Earth?When its orbit changed, it could have pushed many asteroids into the inner solar system, causing many impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment.

Terrestrial Planet: A planet composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals, characterized by a solid surface.
Asteroid Belt: A region of the solar system located roughly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, containing numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets.
Gravitational Perturbations: Deviations in the orbit of a celestial body caused by the gravitational influence of other celestial bodies.
Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB): A hypothesized period of intense extraterrestrial impacts on the planets and moons of the inner Solar System, occurring approximately 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago.