Solar System Vocabulary

Question 1

is a distinct body of interstellar clouds

Answer 1

Nebula

Question 2

gaseous cloud from which, in the so-called nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system, the Sun and planets formed by condensation

Answer 2

Solar Nebula

Question 3

is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles

Answer 3

Nuclear Fusion

Question 4

are temporary phenomena on the Sun’s photosphere that appear as spots darker than the surrounding areas.

Answer 4

Sunspot

Question 5

telluric planet, or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals.

Answer 5

Terrestrial Planets

Question 6

in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object

Answer 6

Prograde Rotation

Question 7

in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object.

Answer 7

Retrograde Rotation

Question 8

is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Gas giants are also called failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star.

Answer 8

Gas Giant

Question 9

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object that has been intentionally placed into orbit.

Answer 9

Satellite

Question 10

is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude.

Answer 10

New Moon

Question 11

moon shines in the west after sunset. It quickly follows the sun below the western horizon.

Answer 11

Waxing Crescent

Question 12

he moon is 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky and is half-illuminated from our point of view.

Answer 12

1st Quarter Moon

Question 13

is an intermediate phase of the Moon that starts right after the First Quarter when the illumination is 50%.

Answer 13

Waxing Gibbous

Question 14

is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth’s perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon.

Answer 14

Full Moon

Question 15

an intermediary Moon phase. It starts right after the Full Moon, and it lasts until the Third Quarter.

Answer 15

Waning Gibbous

Question 16

appears half-lit by sunshine and half-immersed in its own shadow.

Answer 16

Last Quarter Moon

Question 17

phase occurs when the illumination of the Moon decreases from 49.9% to 0.1%. It is an intermediary phase between the Third Quarter and the New Moon (when the Moon is almost invisible).

Answer 17

Waning Crescent

Question 18

occurs when a portion of the Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the Moon which fully or partially blocks sunlight.

Answer 18

Solar Eclipse

Question 19

occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned with Earth between the other two, and only on the night of a full moon.

Answer 19

Lunar Eclipse

Question 20

is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing.

Answer 20

Comet

Question 21

is a minor planet of the inner Solar System.

Answer 21

Asteroid

Question 22

is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes but much smaller than planets, called asteroids or minor planets.

Answer 22

Asteroid Belt

Question 23

is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are significantly smaller than astroids, and range in size from small grains to one-meter-wide objects.

Answer 23

Meteoroid

Question 24

is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon

Answer 24

Meteorite

Question 25

is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are significantly smaller than asteroids, and range in size from small grains to one-meter-wide objects.

Answer 25

Meteor