NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 12 - Beyond Earth

Starting a trip into the universe in Class 6 is a truly mind-expanding experience. The NCERT Solutions for Chapter 12: Beyond Earth will make this exploration of our universe easier and clearer and also present it in a manner that is appropriate and engaging for young minds ready to embark on an exploration of the enormous and mysterious space above them.

Science is primarily about understanding the world around us from the smallest particle to the biggest celestial object. It is primarily an empirical process driven by observation, experimentation, and evidence to try and understand the "what" and "why" behind natural occurrences. Studying space helps us teach curiosity, deep questioning, and logical thinking, which are crucial tools when thinking in a scientific way, whether in or out of school, and when wondering about our role in the universe.

The NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 12 helps students build a fundamental understanding of astronomy and space science, while encouraging students to stay curious about the wonders above them. By undertaking these solutions, students start to think of science not just as a school subject, but as a way of stepping back and exploring the universe with curiosity, clarity, and logical reasoning.

1.0NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 12: Beyond Earth - Download PDF

Download the free PDF of the NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 12 from below:

2.0Key Concepts in Chapter 12: Beyond Earth

In the NCERT textbook (especially the "Curiosity" edition) for Class 6 Science, the chapter "Beyond Earth" typically introduces students to fundamental concepts of space, celestial bodies, and our solar system.

• Introduction to the Night Sky: In this chapter the text begins with an introduction to night sky features and acts as a natural motivator of curiosity about stars and the patterns they create. 
• Stars and Constellations: The text then convenes to stars and introduces understanding stars as luminous bodies and the concept of constellations, groups of stars that form forms patterns and coordinates, then outlines some examples, as noted below: - Big Dipper - Sapta Rishi - Pole Star - Dhruva Tara - Other recognizable constellations.
• Nightsky watching: Practical aspects of nights sky observations were discussed observing the nightsky and aspects of observations like selections of the location for best observations (away from artificial light), sky maps or sky apps to assist with identification, and to give you eyes time to adjust to darkness.
• Our solar system: The chapter continues with an in depth understanding with the Sun in the centre of our solar system to introduce the eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). Each planet was introduced in the order of their locations away from the sun and identified some identifiable features of the planet. (Such as, Earth the Blue Planet; Mars the Red Planet; Venus the Morning Star/Evening Star).
• Moons, Asteroids, and Comets: The chapter introduces other celestial bodies within our solar system, such as natural satellites (like Earth's Moon), asteroids (rocky objects mainly in the asteroid belt), and comets (icy bodies with glowing tails).
• Beyond Our Solar System - Galaxies and the Universe: It provides a glimpse into the vastness of space, introducing the concept of galaxies, including our own Milky Way Galaxy, and the broader universe. The ongoing search for life beyond Earth is often touched upon.
• Human Exploration of Space (Optional/Brief): Some versions may briefly mention human endeavors in space, such as satellites or lunar missions (e.g., Chandrayaan).
• Light Pollution: The impact of artificial light on our ability to observe the night sky and its environmental implications are sometimes discussed, encouraging responsible lighting practices.

Here are some common subtopics covered in this chapter:

• Introduction to the night sky
• Stars and their properties
• Constellations: Ursa Major (Big Dipper/Sapta Rishi), Ursa Minor (Little Dipper), Orion, Pole Star (Polaris/Dhruva Tara)
• Importance of constellations for navigation
• Our Solar System: The Sun and the Eight Planets
• Characteristics of planets (e.g., Earth - Blue Planet, Mars - Red Planet, Venus - Morning/Evening Star)
• Moons/Natural Satellites (e.g., Earth's Moon)
• Asteroids and the asteroid belt
• Comets (e.g., Halley's Comet)
• Galaxies (e.g., Milky Way Galaxy)
• The vastness of the Universe
• Observing the night sky
• Light pollution and its effects

3.0NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 12 - Beyond Earth : Detailed Solutions

• Match the column:

• (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 and not in CAT My fourth alphabet is in SUN but not in FUN I am a planet that moves around the Sun. (ii) Make two similar riddles by yourself. Solution (i) MARS (ii) (a) My first alphabet is in VAN but not in PAN My second alphabet is in EARTH and also in HEAVEN My third alphabet is in ONE and not in TWO My fourth alphabet is in SUN and also in FUN My last alphabet is in STAR but not in RADAR I am a planet that moves around the Sun. Answer: VENUS (b) My first alphabet is in EAT but not in BAT My second alphabet is in FAT and also in SAT My third alphabet is in RAT and not in MAT My fourth alphabet is in TEN and also in NET My fifth alphabet is in HAT but not in PAT. I am a planet that moves round the Sun. Solution EARTH
• Which of the following is not a member of our Solar System? (i) Sirius (ii) Comets (iii) Asteroids (iv) Pluto Solution (i) Sirius
• Which of the following is not a planet of the Sun? (i) Jupiter (ii) Pluto (iii) Neptune (iv) Saturn Solution (ii) Pluto
• Which is the brighter star, the Pole Star or Sirius? Solution (i) Sirius, also known as Dog star. It is about 25 times more luminous than the sun. This star is situated 8.6 light year
• An artist's representation of the Solar System is given in Fig. Is the order of the planets correct? If not, write the correct order in the boxes in the figure.
  
  Solution $1,3,2,4,5,7,6,8$
• A portion of night sky with stars is shown in Fig. Look carefully and identify the groups of stars that form the patternsthe 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. You may refer to Fig. for help.
  
  Solution
  
• A portion of the night sky is shown in Fig. Draw lines to connect the stars for Orion and label the star Sirius. You may refer to figure.
  
  Solution
  
• You can see stars fading away at dawn and appearing at dusk. During the day we do not see the stars. Explain why? Solution We are unable to see stars during the day due to a primary reason sun's intense brightness, which overpower the light emitted by stars. Furthermore, the bright sky during the day reduces the contrast between stars and the background rendering them invisible to the naked eye.
• During a clear night, try to observe the Big Dipper $3-4$ times at an interval of 2 to 3 hours. 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. Solution The Big Dipper appears to move around the Pole Star due to the rotation of the Earth. Over a few hours, its position changes, making it seem as if it is rotating around the Pole Star.
• Think about the night sky and write a poem or a story on it. Solution Stars are twinkling, moon is bright. Shining softly through the night. The sky calms, the world is till, the night is a secret, time to change.

EXERCISE-01

Multiple choice questions

• What was the major achievement of India' Chandrayaan 3 mission? PBY057 (1) First successful landing on moon's north pole. (2) Soft landing near the moon's south pole (3) Discovery of light (4) First human mission
• Which planet is also known as 'Red planet' PBY058 (1) Jupiter (2) Mars (3) Saturn (4)Neptune
• Which constellation contains brightest star, Sirius? PBY059 (1) Orion (2) Taurus (3) Ursa major (4)Ursa minor
• Ursa Major is PBY060 (1) a star (2) seen only with telescope (3) constellation (4) satellite
• Which unit is used to measure astronomical distances? PBY061 (1) Light year (2) Leap year (3) Kilometer (4) Sound year
• The stars forming a recognizable shape is called PBY062 (1) Constellation (2) Solar system (3) Galaxy (4) Asteroids
• Which of the following does not belong to the family of solar system? PBY063 (1) Planet (2) Galaxy (3) Meteors (4) Asteroids
• Mercury is PBY064 (1) smaller than the Moon (2) the same size as the Moon (3) larger than the Moon but smaller than Earth (4) the same size as Earth
• Which planet is called morning star or evening star? PBY065 (1) Saturn (2) Mars (3) Jupiter (4) Venus
• The planet farthest from the sun is PBY066 (1) Uranus (2) Neptune (3) Saturn (4) Mercury
• Which planet has the largest number of satellites? PBY067 (1) Jupiter (2) Saturn (3) Mercury (4) Mars
• The Halley's Comet is seen after every PBY068 (1) 76 months (2) 76 years (3) 56 months (4) 56 years
• Which celestial body revolves around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit? PBY069 (1) Comet (2) Meteors (3) Asteroids (4) Planets
• Which small objects revolve between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter? PBY070 (1) Satellites (2) Comets (3) Asteroids (4) Meteorites
• Shooting stars are also called PBY071 (1) Asteroids (2) Galaxies (3) Meteors (4) Andromeda

True or false

• Light pollution enhances the visibility of night sky. PBY072
• Moon orbits the earth in 27.32 days. PBY073
• Venus is often called morning star but it is not a star. PBY074
• Sirius is also called the Hunter. The three middle stars represent the belt of the hunter. PBY075
• Pole Star helps locate northern hemisphere. PBY076
• An astronomical unit is the mean distance of the Earth from the Moon. PBY077
• Jupiter is the least dense among all the planets. PBY078
• A planet has a definite path in which it revolves around the Sun. This path is called an equatorial plane. PBY079
• Pluto is no longer considered as a planet of the solar system. PBY080
• Halley's comet can be seen from the Earth after every 26 years. PBY081
• Match the column PBY082

• Match the column PBY083

Fill in the blanks

• Ursa major constellation appears to revolve around $\_\_\_\_$ . PBY085
• Cassiopeia is visible during $\_\_\_\_$ in the early part of the night. PBY086
• Equatorial plane and Orbital plane of the Earth are inclined to each other at an angle of $\_\_\_\_$。 PBY087
• The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a $\_\_\_\_$ , which has persisted since Galileo first observed it nearly 400 years ago. PBY088
• The asteroid belt is the region between the orbit of $\_\_\_\_$ and the orbit of Jupiter. PBY089
• Density of Saturn is $\_\_\_\_$ than that of water. PBY090
• Uranus rotates on its $\_\_\_\_$ , almost like a bowling ball rolling down its lane. PBY091
• As a comet approaches the sun, it develops a tail pointing $\_\_\_\_$ from the sun. PBY092
• A meteor that reaches the surface of earth without being completely vaporized is called a $\_\_\_\_$ . PBY093
• Indian remote sensing satellites (IRS) have important contributions in the survey and management of $\_\_\_\_$ . PBY094
• Crossword
  
  Across 1.India made geostationary satellite $\_\_\_\_$ was successfully launched from SriHarikota for the purpose extension of education.

2.The satellite whose orbital period is equal to the period at which the Earth rotates is called $\_\_\_\_$ satellite.

3.The plane of the equator of the Earth is called its $\_\_\_\_$ plane.

4.The stars, the planets, the moon and many other objects in the sky are called $\_\_\_\_$ object.

Down

5.$\_\_\_\_$ are relatively small, primarily rocky or metallic chunks of matter that orbit the sun.

6.The Latin name Ursa Major means $\_\_\_\_$ . 7.The same side of the Moon always faces Earth this phenomenon, called $\_\_\_\_$ locking. 8.The entire surface of the Moon is covered by powdery soil called $\_\_\_\_$ .

ANSWER KEY

Multiple choice questions

True or false 1.False 2.True 3.True 4.False 5.True 5.False 6.False 7.False 8.True 9.False

Match the column

• $(\mathrm{A}\to \mathrm{q});(\mathrm{B}\to \mathrm{s});(\mathrm{C}\to \mathrm{p});(\mathrm{D}\to \mathrm{r})$
• $(\mathrm{A}\to \mathrm{s})$; $(\mathrm{B}\to \mathrm{p})$; $(\mathrm{C}\to \mathrm{q})$; $(\mathrm{D}\to \mathrm{r})$

Fill in the blanks 1.Pole star 2.Winter 3.$23.5^{\circ }$ 4.Storm 5.Mars 6.Less 7.Side 8.Away 9.Meteorite 10.Natural resources

Crossword

EXERCISE-02

Very short answer type questions

• Can we hear any sound on the moon? PBY096
• How Moonlight is different from the Sunlight? PBY097
• What is a constellation? PBY098
• Name the bodies of the solar system that have failed to assemble into a planet. PBY099
• Name the planets that were discovered only after the invention of telescopes. PBY100
• Name the planet that is known to have largest number of natural satellites. PBY101
• Name all the planets of the solar system in order of their distance from the Sun. PBY102
• Which planet of the solar system is (a) largest and (b) smallest in size? PBY103
• Name the two planets between which lie the orbits of asteroids. PBY104
• Why does the tail of a comet always point away from sun? PBY105

Short answer type questions

• Why do celestial objects appear to move across the sky from east to west? PBY106
• Give two distinguishing features of a constellation. PBY107
• Name a celestial body which is not a star but is called a morning star. Explain. PBY108
• Explain how can you locate the star 'Sirius' using Orion constellation. PBY109
• Classify the following into planets, satellites, stars and constellation : PBY110 Moon, Alpha Centauri, Neptune, Orion, Mercury, Ursa Major, Sun, Phobos.
• Stars are not visible during the day. Explain. PBY111
• State the features of moon and mercury that have close resemblance. PBY112
• What are Asteroids? Name the largest seen Asteroid. PBY113
• Why are meteors commonly called shooting stars? PBY114
• Explain why the number of meteors striking the moon's surface is quite large whereas very few reach the earth's surface? PBY115

Long answer type questions

• Describe the key features of solar system. Describe its characteristics and their significance in supporting life on earth. PBY116
• Explain an activity (i) to locate pole star using Ursa major constellation (ii) to show that Ursa major appear to revolve around the pole star. PBY117

Activity based questions

• See the given figure and choose the position that correctly represents the orientation of Cassiopeia constellation using the Pole star. PBY118

• (1) A (2) B (3) C (4) D
• Identify the star A shown in the figure. PBY119
  
  (1) Alpha Centauri (2) Sun (3) Pole star (4) Sirius Use figure given below that shows our Solar system to answer the Q. 3 to Q.5.
  
• The object D is a PBY120 (1) Star (2) Sun (3) Luminous object (4) Sirius
• The objects C and E are collectively called (1) Jovian planets PBY121 (2) Terrestrial planets (3) Superior planets (4) Gas giants
• The region H represents PBY122 (1) Meteor belt (2) Kuiper belt (3) Asteroid belt (4) Oort Cloud

Activity based questions

• Try to locate Ursa major and Cassiopeia using the Pole star on a clear night sky. Choose the correct orientation of these constellations with respect to the Pole star that you observe on the night sky. PBY123
  
  (2)
  
  (3)
  
  (4)
  

4.0Key Features of NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 12: Beyond Earth

• A Strong Foundation in Space Science: The solutions provide definitive explanations and organized answers allowing students to gain solid foundation for understanding basic astronomical principles and concepts at Year 6.
• Greater Conceptual Clarity: They do not just provide answers, they also provide "why" and "how" about celestials, so students gain clarity to what they need to learn and conceptualize related to space.
• Stronger Problem-Solving: Engaging with the solutions momentarily will strengthen instructional approaches to solving the questions; a key element of science and critical-thinking skills.
• Exam Preparedness: Will provide exposure to systematically answering various types of questions (e.g., multiple-choice, short answer, long answer, case studies) allowing students to prepare and answer exam questions with increased success.
• Boosted Confidence: When students can understand and solve the textbook questions they become much more confident in the subject and will be more eager to explore the wonders of the universe.