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 photosphere 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 planet’s north pole; rotation in the same direction as the suns 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

the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the unaided eye, but its presence may be detected because it occults stars behind it.

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

A “gibbous” moon is any moon that appears more than half lighted but less than full.

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 is the last phase of the moon.

Question 18

Solar Eclipse

Answer 18

an eclipse in which the sun is obscured by the moon.

Question 19

Lunar Eclipse

Answer 19

an eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth’s shadow.

Question 20

Comet

Answer 20

a small body of ice rock and comet dust that follows an elliptical orbit around the sun and that gives off gas and dust in the form of a tail as it passes close to the sun

Question 21

Asteroid

Answer 21

a small rocky object that orbits the sun usually in a band between the orbits of mars and jupiter

Question 22

Asteroid Belt

Answer 22

the region of the solar system that is between the orbits of mars and jupiter and in which most asteroids orbit

Question 23

Meteoroid

Answer 23

a relatively small rocky body that travels through space

Question 24

Meteorite

Answer 24

a meteorite that reaches the earths surface without burning up completely

Question 25

Meteor

Answer 25

a bright steak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in the earths atmosphere