Solar System Flashcards
Astronomical unit
A unit of distance equal to the average distance between Earth and the sun, about 150 million kilometers.
Solar system
The system consisting of the sun and the planets and other objects that revolve around it.
Planet
An object that orbits a star, is large enough to have become rounded by its own gravity, and has cleared the area of its orbit.
Dwarf planet
An object that orbits the sun and is spherical, but has not cleared the area of its orbit.
Asteroids
One of the rocky objects revolving around the sun that are too small and numerous to be considered planets.
Comets
A loose collection of ice and dust that orbits the sun, typically in a long, narrow orbit.
Planetesimal
One of the small asteroid-like bodies that formed the building blocks of the planets.