Solar System Flashcards
a cloud of gas and dust in outer space
nebula
hypothesis describes the formation of our solar system from a nebula cloud made from a collection of dust and gas
solar nebula
a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy
nuclear fusion
a spot or patch appearing from time to time on the sun’s surface
sunspot
a unit of measurement equal to 149.6 million kilometers
astronomical unit
a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals
terrestrial planets
a rotational or orbital movement that is the same as most bodies within a celestial system
prograde rotation
Venus and Uranus
retrograde rotation
a large planet of relatively low density consisting predominantly of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune
gas giant
an artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication
satellite
a distinct period or stage in a process of change or forming part of something’s development
phase
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
eclipse
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
comet
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
asteroid
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
asteroid belt
