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Unit 8
Solar System and Exploration
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Gravity | force of attraction between two objects due to their masses |
| Model | a picture, idea, or object that represents an object, a system, or a process and is used to help with understanding; models have advantages and limitations |
| Orbit | the path that one object in space follows as it revolves around another object in space |
| Asteroid | a small rocky body orbiting the sun. |
| Comet | 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. |
| Cosmonaut | a Russian astronaut. |
| Galilean Moons | the four largest moons of Jupiter—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. |
| Gas Giant Planets | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. |
| International Space Station | a large spacecraft that orbits around Earth. It is a home and science lab for astronauts. |
| Meteor | 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. |
| Revolution | the movement of one object around a center or another object. |
| Rotation | a circular movement of an object around a center (or point). |
| Satellite | an artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication. |
| Space Probe | an unmanned exploratory spacecraft designed to transmit information about its environment. |
| Space Shuttle | a rocket-launched spacecraft, able to land like an unpowered aircraft, used to make repeated journeys between the earth and earth orbit. |
| Terrestrial Planets | the inner planets closest to the Sun, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. |
| Ellipse | a regular oval shape, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of its distances from two other points (the foci) is constant. |