Solar System

Question 1

A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter

Answer 1

Nebula

Question 2

Made from a collection of dust and gas

Answer 2

Solar Nebula

Question 3

A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy

Answer 3

Nuclear Fusion

Question 4

A spot or patch appearing from time to time on the sun’s surface, appearing dark by contrast with its surroundings

Answer 4

Sunspot

Question 5

A unit of measurement equal to 149.6 million kilometers, the mean distance from the center of the earth to the center of the sun

Answer 5

Astronomical Unit

Question 6

Is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals

Answer 6

Terrestrial Planets

Question 7

Having a rotational or orbital movement that is the same as most bodies within a celestial system

Answer 7

Prograde Rotation

Question 8

Which is counterclockwise when viewed from above the Sun’s north pole

Answer 8

Retrograde Rotation

Question 9

A large planet of relatively low density consisting predominantly of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune

Answer 9

Gas Giant

Question 10

An artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication

Answer 10

Satellite

Question 11

A distinct period or stage in a process of change or forming part of something’s development

Answer 11

Phase

Question 12

An obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer or between it and its source of illumination

Answer 12

Eclipse

Question 13

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

Answer 13

Comet

Question 14

A small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the asteroid belt ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors

Answer 14

Asteroid

Question 15

Is a region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most of the asteroids in our Solar System are found orbiting the Sun

Answer 15

Asteroid Belt

Question 16

A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth’s atmosphere

Answer 16

Meteoroid

Question 17

A meteor that survives its passage through the earth’s atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. More than 90 percent of meteorites are of rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel

Answer 17

Meteorite

Question 18

A small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth’s atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light

Answer 18

Meteor