Which of the following statements about the solar system are correct? I. The planet Venus is also known as 'the Morning Star'.

Question

Which of the following statements about the solar system are correct?

I. The planet Venus is also known as 'the Morning Star'.

II. The asteroid belt, a region of rocky debris, lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

III. The Kuiper belt, a region of icy bodies, lies between the orbits of Planets Saturn and Uranus.

1. A. I only
2. B. I and II only (Correct answer)
3. C. II and III only
4. D. I, II and III

Correct Answer

Option B — I and II only

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is I and II only.

Key Points

• Examining each statement:
  • Statement I is CORRECT. Venus is known as both the "Morning Star" and the "Evening Star", because as an inner planet it appears near the Sun and is visible shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset. It is the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon.
  • Statement II is CORRECT. The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, containing rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system. Ceres, the largest body in it, is classified as a dwarf planet.
  • Statement III is INCORRECT. The Kuiper Belt lies beyond the orbit of Neptune, extending from about 30 to 50 astronomical units from the Sun — not between Saturn and Uranus. Pluto is its best-known member.
• Statements I and II are correct.

Additional Information

• Venus in brief: often called Earth's twin for its similar size and mass, it is the hottest planet at about 465 °C because of a runaway greenhouse effect in its dense CO₂ atmosphere. It rotates clockwise (retrograde), and its day is longer than its year — 243 Earth days to rotate against 225 to orbit.
• The structure of the solar system, outward from the Sun:
  • Inner (terrestrial) planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
  • Asteroid belt — between Mars and Jupiter.
  • Outer (gas and ice giant) planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
  • Kuiper Belt — beyond Neptune, home to Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.
  • Oort Cloud — a spherical shell of icy bodies at the outermost edge, the source of long-period comets.
• Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006, because it does not clear its orbital neighbourhood of other bodies.
• Other planetary nicknames: Mars the Red Planet; Jupiter the largest planet; Saturn known for its rings and lowest density; Uranus the tilted planet, rotating almost on its side; Mercury the smallest and fastest.