Solar System

Question 1

Nebula

Answer 1

A large cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space; a region in space where stars are born or where stars explode at the end of their lives.

Question 2

Solar Nebula

Answer 2

the cloud of gas and dust that formed our solar system.

Question 3

Nuclear Fusion

Answer 3

The combination of the nuclei of small atoms to form a large nucleus; releases energy.

Question 4

Sunspot

Answer 4

A dark area of the photo sphere of the sun that is cooler than the surrounding areas and that has a strong magnetic field.

Question 5

Terrestrial Planets

Answer 5

One of the highly dense planets nearest to the sun; Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Earth.

Question 6

Prograde Rotation

Answer 6

The counterclockwise spin of a planet or moon as seen from above the planets North Pole; rotation in the same direction as the sun’s rotation.

Question 7

Retrograde Rotation

Answer 7

The clockwise spin of a planet or moon as seen from above the planets North Pole.

Question 8

Gas Giant

Answer 8

A planet that has a deep, massive, atmosphere, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune.

Question 9

Satellite

Answer 9

A natural or artificial body that revolves around a planet.

Question 10

New Moon

Answer 10

The phase of the moon when it is in conjunction with the sun and invisible from earth, or shortly thereafter when it appears as a slender crescent.

Question 11

Waxing Crescent

Answer 11

The waxing crescent phase is the moon’s first step toward fullness.

Question 12

1st Quarter Moon

Answer 12

In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude.

Question 13

Waxing Gibbous

Answer 13

Waxing gibbous means it’s getting visually wider and wider from day to day, culminating in a full moon.

Question 14

Full Moon

Answer 14

The phase of the moon in which its whole disk is illuminated.

Question 15

Waning Gibbous

Answer 15

The Waning Gibbous is an intermediary Moon phase.

Question 16

Last Quarter Moon

Answer 16

The instant, approximately one week after a full moon, when half of the moon’s disk is illuminated by the sun.

Question 17

Waning Crescent

Answer 17

The Waning Crescent phase occurs when the illumination of the Moon decreases from 49.9% to 0.1%.

Question 18

Solar Eclipse

Answer 18

A solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the Moon which fully or partially blocks sunlight.

Question 19

Lunar Eclipse

Answer 19

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow.

Question 20

Comet

Answer 20

A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing.

Question 21

Asteroid

Answer 21

An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System.

Question 22

Asteroid Belt

Answer 22

The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars.

Question 23

Meteoroid

Answer 23

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.

Question 24

Meteorite

Answer 24

A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.

Question 25

Meteor

Answer 25

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.