Exam-style questions by topic — Edexcel GCSE Astronomy
One verified question for each of 16 topics. These are written for this specification and checked by MasteryMind. They are not past-paper questions, and they are not from Pearson Edexcel.
Topic 1 – Planet Earth
An astronomer observes a star low above the horizon from a town and finds its image blurred and flickering. Which explanation best accounts for this?
Practise Topic 1 – Planet EarthTopic 10 – Solar astronomy
The Van Allen Belts surround the Earth, trapping charged particles within Earth's magnetic field. What are the shape and position of the Van Allen Belts relative to the Earth?
Practise Topic 10 – Solar astronomyTopic 11 – Exploring the Solar System
Radio signals between Earth and Mars take between about 4 and 24 minutes each way. Which statement correctly links this delay to the choice between a crewed and a robotic mission to Mars?
Practise Topic 11 – Exploring the Solar SystemTopic 12 – Formation of planetary systems
Which two factors interact to determine whether a newly formed planet or moon can retain an atmosphere?
Practise Topic 12 – Formation of planetary systemsTopic 13 – Exploring starlight
Astronomers sort stars into spectral types labelled by letters. Which sequence gives the spectral types in the order of decreasing surface temperature?
Practise Topic 13 – Exploring starlightTopic 14 – Stellar evolution
Black holes cannot be seen directly because light cannot escape from them. Which observation gives astronomers strong evidence that a black hole is present?
Practise Topic 14 – Stellar evolutionTopic 15 – Our place in the Galaxy
A galaxy cluster has existed for billions of years. The speeds of its galaxies show that the cluster's total mass must be roughly ten times greater than the mass of all the stars and gas that can be seen in it. Which conclusion is best supported by this evidence?
Practise Topic 15 – Our place in the GalaxyTopic 16 – Cosmology
The Hubble Deep Field image was made by pointing a telescope at a tiny, apparently empty patch of sky for many days. It showed thousands of faint galaxies of many different shapes. Why does this image support the Big Bang theory?
Practise Topic 16 – CosmologyTopic 2 – The lunar disc
A learner compares two lunar photographs taken at different phases. In one, a curved chain of rugged peaks casts long shadows along the edge of a dark plain; in the other, a small bright crater with a ray system lies on a dark plain. Which pairing correctly matches these two features?
Practise Topic 2 – The lunar discTopic 3 – The Earth-Moon-Sun system
Which statement best compares the average distance from the Earth to the Sun with the average distance from the Earth to the Moon?
Practise Topic 3 – The Earth-Moon-Sun systemTopic 4 – Time and the Earth-Moon-Sun cycles
A shadow stick at a location shows that local apparent noon occurs when the clock reads 12:00 Greenwich Mean Time. The Equation of Time on that date is 0 minutes. What is the longitude of the location?
Practise Topic 4 – Time and the Earth-Moon-Sun cyclesTopic 5 – Solar System observation
Why do the meteors in a meteor shower appear to come from a single point in the sky called the radiant?
Practise Topic 5 – Solar System observationTopic 6 – Celestial observation
An observer in the northern hemisphere uses Polaris and measures its altitude above the horizon as 52°. What is the observer's latitude?
Practise Topic 6 – Celestial observationTopic 7 – Early models of the Solar System
A planet is carried on an epicycle whose centre moves around a deferent. Why does this arrangement allow the model to match the observed retrograde motion of the planet?
Practise Topic 7 – Early models of the Solar SystemTopic 8 – Planetary motion and gravity
A satellite orbits the Earth along an elliptical path. At one point in its orbit the satellite is at its minimum distance from the Earth. Which term correctly describes this point?
Practise Topic 8 – Planetary motion and gravityTopic 9 – Exploring the Moon
A spacecraft is launched from the Earth’s surface at 6 km/s and its engines then switch off. The Earth’s escape velocity is about 11 km/s. What will happen to the spacecraft?
Practise Topic 9 – Exploring the Moon
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