GCSERevise
AQASpec 4.8Higher tier~25 min

Space Physics

Physics · Topic revision workspace

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Read the notes, score 80% and know 75% of the cards.

Topic overview

What you need to know

Space Physics is a key part of GCSE Physics. Choose the right model or equation, track units carefully and connect calculations to physical meaning. The Sun and everything that orbits it: 8 planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. The curved path of a planet around a star, or a moon around a planet, caused by gravitational attraction. Nebula → protostar → main sequence star → red giant → white dwarf → (eventually) black dwarf.

Exam tip

Write the equation, substitute with units, calculate, then round only at the end.

Revision notes

Core ideas

Secure these ideas first. Say each definition in your own words, then connect it to the topic overview.

  • Solar System: The Sun and everything that orbits it: 8 planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.
  • Orbit: The curved path of a planet around a star, or a moon around a planet, caused by gravitational attraction.
  • Life Cycle of a Star (Sun-sized): Nebula → protostar → main sequence star → red giant → white dwarf → (eventually) black dwarf.
  • Life Cycle of a Massive Star: Nebula → protostar → main sequence → red supergiant → supernova → neutron star or black hole.

Revision notes

Apply it in the exam

The exam will rarely ask for an isolated definition. Practise selecting the right idea and using it as part of a complete explanation or method.

  • Red Shift: Light from galaxies moving away from us is shifted towards the red end of the spectrum. Greater red shift = moving faster.
  • Big Bang Theory: The theory that the universe began from a very small, extremely hot and dense point approximately 13.8 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since.
  • Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR): Low-frequency electromagnetic radiation filling the universe, left over from the Big Bang. It is evidence for the Big Bang theory.
  • Dark Energy: A mysterious force causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Makes up about 68% of the universe.

Core knowledge

Key facts for Space Physics

1

Solar System

The Sun and everything that orbits it: 8 planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

2

Orbit

The curved path of a planet around a star, or a moon around a planet, caused by gravitational attraction.

3

Life Cycle of a Star (Sun-sized)

Nebula → protostar → main sequence star → red giant → white dwarf → (eventually) black dwarf.

4

Life Cycle of a Massive Star

Nebula → protostar → main sequence → red supergiant → supernova → neutron star or black hole.

5

Red Shift

Light from galaxies moving away from us is shifted towards the red end of the spectrum. Greater red shift = moving faster.

6

Big Bang Theory

The theory that the universe began from a very small, extremely hot and dense point approximately 13.8 billion years ago and has been expanding ever since.

7

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)

Low-frequency electromagnetic radiation filling the universe, left over from the Big Bang. It is evidence for the Big Bang theory.

8

Dark Energy

A mysterious force causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Makes up about 68% of the universe.

Active recall

Close the notes and answer these

  1. 1.Without looking, explain solar system and give one example or consequence.
  2. 2.Without looking, explain orbit and give one example or consequence.
  3. 3.Without looking, explain life cycle of a star (sun-sized) and give one example or consequence.
  4. 4.Without looking, explain life cycle of a massive star and give one example or consequence.

Content reviewed 23 July 2026 against the current linked specification.

Finished learning?

Mark the notes complete, then test what you can recall.

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Official AQA specification