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Mr. Vaughan SOL 6.2
Space
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astronomy | The study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space. |
| Astronomer | A scientist who studies the universe beyond Earth. |
| Asteroid belt | The region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where many asteroids are found. |
| Asteroids | Objects that revolve around the sun that are too small and too numerous to be considered planets. |
| Comet | A ball of ice and dust whose orbit is usually a long, narrow ellipse |
| Galaxy | A system of millions or billions of stars held together by gravitational attraction |
| Gas Giants | The name given to the first four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune |
| Geocentric | A description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around Earth |
| Gravity | The attractive force between two objects; its magnitude depends on their masses and the distance between them |
| Heliocentric | A description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around the sun |
| Meteor | A streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere |
| Meteorite | A meteoroid that has hit Earth’s surface |
| Meteoroid | A chunk of rock or dust in space |
| Nuclear Fusion | The combining of two atomic nuclei onto a single larger nucleus, as when two hydrogen atoms join together to form helium, releasing energy |
| Orbit | The path of an object as it revolves around another object in space |
| Retrograde Rotation | The spinning motion of a planet from east to west, opposite to the direction of rotation of most planets and moons |
| Satellite | Any object that revolves around another object in space |
| Terrestrial Planets | The name given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars |