Solar system vocab Flashcards
Meteor
The light we see when a space rock burns in the atmosphere
Meteorite
A space rock that hits earth
Meteoroid
A chunk of rock or metal in space
Asteroid
One of the rocky objects revolving around the sun that is too small and numerous to be considered a planet
Comet
A loose collection of ice and dust that orbits the sun, typically in a long, narrow orbit
Dwarf planet
A body in space that orbits the sun, is massive enough to almost be round but not so massive that its orbit does not cross any other objects. It is not a moon of another planet
Gravity
The attractive force between objects; the force that moves objects downhill
Inertia
The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion
Inner planets
The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) have slower orbits (period of revolution = year) , slower spin (period of rotation = days) , no rings , and they are made of rock and metal with a solid outer surface
Moon
A natural satellite that orbits a planet
Outer planet
Four massive (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) in the solar system that are primarily made of gas, have rings, rotate quickly and orbit slowly
Sun
The massive sized star at the center of our solar system around which the 8 planets orbit
Telescope
An optical instrument that forms enlarged images of distant objects
