The chapter, Beyond Earth, takes students on a journey outward from Earth into the vast universe that surrounds our planet. The chapter opens in Nubra, a high-altitude region in Ladakh, where two siblings named Yangdol and Dorjay live surrounded by mountains and glaciers. With almost no artificial light pollution in their region, the night sky above their home is filled with thousands of visible stars, far more than most students living in cities will ever see with the naked eye. Yangdol and Dorjay have grown up hearing stories from their elders about how ancient travellers and caravans used the stars to navigate across dark landscapes long before any modern instrument existed.
The chapter starts with the familiar night sky and discusses the planets, the solar system, asteroids, comets and the Moon to help students get a clear picture of what lies beyond Earth. The chapter explains constellations and navigation, the structure of the solar system, the characteristics of each planet, the phases of the Moon and India's own contributions to space exploration through the Chandrayaan missions. NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science for this chapter cover all in-text, activity-based and back exercise questions, helping CBSE Board Class 6 students write complete and well-structured answers to every type of question asked in school exams.
Download NCERT Solutions PDF for Class 6 Science Chapter 12 Beyond Earth
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NCERT Exercise Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 12: Beyond Earth
NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 12 given below cover all the questions in this chapter. These solutions are prepared according to the latest CBSE Board Class 6 syllabus and are designed to help students understand the concepts clearly and write accurate and well-structured answers. By practicing these solutions regularly, students can improve their understanding of the chapter and prepare confidently for school tests and exams.
Q1. Match the following.
| Column I | Column II |
|---|---|
| (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 |
Q2.
(i) Solve the following riddle.
Answer: Mars
Explanation:
M is in MAN but not in CAN
A is in ACE and also in FAN
R is in RAT but not in CAT
S is in SUN but not in FUN
So, the answer is Mars.
(ii) Make two similar riddles by yourself.
Riddle 1
My first letter is in VERY but not in TREE.
My second letter is in EGG and also in PEN.
My third letter is in NEST but not in BEST.
My fourth letter is in UMBRELLA but not in APPLE.
My fifth letter is in SUN and also in STAR.
Answer: Venus
Riddle 2
My first letter is in JUG but not in BUG.
My second letter is in UP and also in SUN.
My third letter is in PEN but not in TEN.
My fourth letter is in ICE and also in KITE.
My fifth letter is in TABLE but not in CABLE.
My sixth letter is in EARTH and also in STAR.
My seventh letter is in RAIN but not in PAIN.
Answer: Jupiter
Q3. Which of the following is not a member of our Solar System?
Answer: (i) Sirius
Explanation: Sirius is a star outside our Solar System. Comets and asteroids are members of the Solar System.
Q4. Which of the following is not a planet of the Sun?
Answer: (ii) Pluto
Explanation: Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet and is not one of the eight planets of the Solar System.
Q5. Which is the brighter star, the Pole Star or Sirius?
Answer: Sirius is brighter than the Pole Star. It is the brightest star visible in the night sky.
Q6. Is the order of the planets correct? If not, write the correct order.
Answer: The order shown is not correct.
The correct order of the planets from the Sun is:
Mercury → Venus → Earth → Mars → Jupiter → Saturn → Uranus → Neptune
Q7. A portion of night sky with stars is shown in Fig. 12.13. 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: This is an activity-based question and should be done using the given figure in the NCERT textbook.
- Draw lines to join the stars forming the Big Dipper (Ursa Major/Saptarishi).
- Draw lines to join the stars forming the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor).
- Mark and label the Pole Star (Dhruva Tara) at the end of the Little Dipper's handle.
Q8. A portion of the night sky is shown in Fig. 12.14. Draw lines to connect the stars for Orion and label the star Sirius. You may refer to Fig. 12.3.
Answer: This is also an activity-based question.
Join the stars to form the Orion constellation.
Identify the three bright stars forming Orion's Belt.
Locate and label Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, using the direction shown in the NCERT figure.
Q9. From Earth, 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 the day, the Sun's light is very bright. It scatters in Earth's atmosphere and makes the sky appear bright blue. Because of this bright sunlight, the light coming from distant stars cannot be seen easily. At night, when the Sun is below the horizon, the sky becomes dark and the stars become visible.
Q10. 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.
Answer: Yes, the Big Dipper appears to move across the night sky as the Earth rotates.
However, the Pole Star appears almost fixed in the same position. The Big Dipper seems to move around the Pole Star during the night.
Observation: The position of the Big Dipper changes after every few hours, while the Pole Star remains nearly stationary.
Q11. Think about the night sky and write a poem or a story on it.
Answer (Poem): The Beautiful Night Sky
The stars shine bright in the silent night,
The Moon fills the sky with gentle light.
The planets travel around the Sun,
Each one has its own journey to run.
The Pole Star shows the northern way,
Guiding travellers night and day.
The endless sky is full of wonder,
Making us dream and learn forever.
Class 6 Science Chapter 12 Overview
Stars are massive, glowing balls of hot gas that shine with their own light, unlike planets and moons, which only reflect the light of the Sun. For all of human history, people have connected stars with imaginary lines to form patterns, often resembling animals, objects, or characters from stories. These patterns are called constellations. Long before any modern navigation tool existed, travellers used constellations to find direction and location during journeys across deserts, mountains and oceans at night. Among the most recognisable constellations is Orion, imagined as a hunter. It can be identified by three bright stars in a row that form his belt.
Once a student can find Orion's belt, it can be used as a pointer to locate Sirius, which is the single brightest star in the entire night sky. Another major constellation is the Big Dipper, part of the larger constellation known as Ursa Major. In India, this same pattern is traditionally known as the Saptarishi, meaning the seven sages. The Big Dipper serves an important purpose as certain stars at the edge of its pattern act as pointer stars that, when followed in a straight line, lead directly to the Pole Star. The Pole Star holds a fixed position in the sky throughout the night because it lies almost directly above Earth's axis, which is why it has been used for centuries to determine the direction of true north.
Beyond stars and constellations, the chapter discusses the solar system, which consists of the Sun at its centre, the eight planets that orbit it, their moons and smaller bodies such as asteroids and comets. The eight planets, in order from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Each planet has defining characteristics. Earth is often called the Blue Planet because nearly 2/3 of its surface is covered by water, giving it a blue appearance when viewed from space. Mars is known as the Red Planet due to the reddish iron oxide that covers much of its surface. Venus is called the Morning Star or Evening Star, because it is often the brightest object visible in the sky shortly after sunset or before sunrise, despite being a planet and not a star.
Asteroids are small rocky objects, most of which are found in the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Comets are made up of dust, gas, rock and ice and develop a visible glowing tail when they pass close to the Sun. Halley's Comet, one of the most famous comets, becomes visible from Earth approximately once every 76 years. The Moon is Earth's natural satellite and the closest celestial body to our planet. It takes approximately 27 days to complete one revolution around Earth. As the Moon revolves, the changing position of sunlight falling on it creates the different phases we observe from Earth, including the New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter and Waning Crescent.
The Moon's surface also contains many craters, formed by the impact of asteroids over billions of years. India's lunar missions, Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3, have played an important role in exploring the Moon, with Chandrayaan-3 achieving a successful landing near the Moon's south pole. Lastly, the chapter discusses light pollution, which refers to artificial light from cities and towns that makes it difficult to see stars clearly in the night sky. This is precisely why a remote region like Ladakh offers a beautiful view of the stars compared to a typical city and why astronomers often travel to dark areas to observe the sky clearly.
Topics Covered in This Chapter
- Stars and constellations.
- Constellations and their use for navigation by sailors and travellers.
- Important constellations and stars: Orion, Sirius, the Big Dipper and the Pole Star (Dhruva Tara).
- The solar system.
- The eight planets in order.
- Earth as the Blue Planet.
- Mars as the Red Planet.
- Venus as the Morning Star and Evening Star.
- Jupiter as the largest planet in the solar system.
- Saturn and its ring system.
- The asteroid belt and comets, including Halley's Comet.
- The Moon as Earth's natural satellite.
- Phases of the Moon and craters on the Moon.
- India's lunar missions.
- Light pollution.
How to Prepare for This Chapter Using NCERT Solutions?
For Chapter 12, you must study this chapter in groups. The first group is constellations and navigation. You must know the names of Orion, Ursa Major and Saptarishi, the Pole Star and Dhruva Tara, how the pointer stars of the Big Dipper lead to the Pole Star and why the Pole Star indicates north. The second group is the solar system. You must know the eight planets in order from the Sun, the nicknames of Earth, Mars and Venus and why each has that nickname, the location of the asteroid belt and the definition of a comet.
The third group is the Moon. You must know its revolution period, the sequence of phases from New Moon to New Moon and the significance of the three Chandrayaan missions. For planets, you must remember the order of the planets correctly. You should always write Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A helpful mnemonic used by many students is: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.
This chapter also has riddle-based questions about the planets that you must prepare. For the difference between a star and a planet, always remember two key points: stars produce their own light while planets only reflect light from a star and stars appear to twinkle while planets appear as steady points of light because they are much closer to Earth. After completing the chapter, practice all the textbook questions yourself before checking the solutions.
For CBSE Board Class 6 Beyond Earth MCQs, the most frequently asked questions are the difference between a star and a planet, the eight planets in order, the nicknames of Earth, Mars and Venus, how to locate the Pole Star using the Big Dipper, the definition and examples of constellations, the phases of the Moon, the revolution period of the Moon, the definition of light pollution and the significance of Chandrayaan-3.
