Planets Flashcards
Nebula
A cloud of dust and/or gas in space
Solar Nebula
Flattened disk of gas and/or dust in space
Nuclear Fusion
When two different nuclei combine to make a different atomic number
Sunspot
Areas around the sun that are darker then others
Terrestrial planets
Planets made up of mostly rock and/or metal
Prograde Rotation
Rotating the same as the Sun
Retrograde rotation
Rotating the opposite position of the sun
Gas Giant
A large planet that has low density
Satellite
An object rotating around a planet to collect information
New moon
When the moon is invisible to earth
Waxing crescent
Moon’s first form
1st quarter moon
When viewed from Earth is a half moon
Waxing Gibbous
The moon form that is past 3rd quarter but before full moon
Full Moon
When you can see the entire moon as a sphere
Waning Gibbous
The moon gets smaller until 3rd quarter moon
Last Quarter Moon
The moon half lit by sunlit and half hidden by its own shadow
Solar Eclipse
When the earth is in a shadow because the moon engulfs the sun
Lunar Ecplise
When the moon is hidden in the shadow of the earth
Comet
a celestial object consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles pointing away from the sun
Asteroid
A rock orbiting the sun
Asteroid belt
A torus shaped thing filled of asteroids
Meteoroid
A small rocky irregular object
Meteorite
A piece of a meteor that survives Earth’s atmosphere
Meteor
A small body of matter from outer space in the Earth’s atmosphere
