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Chapter 21 - Vocab
Chapter 21 - Vocab - The Solar System
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Asteroid | A small, rocky object that orbits the Sun in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. |
| Comet | An object made of gas, dust, and ice and moves around the Sun in an oval-shaped orbit. |
| Astronomical Unit | (AU) The average distance from Earth to the Sun - about 150 million km. |
| Period of Revolution | The time it takes for an object to travel once around the sun. |
| Period of Rotation | The time it takes an object to complete one rotation. |
| Terrestrial Planet | The planets closet to the Sun that have solid outer layers. |
| Greenhouse Effect | The effect when a planet's atmosphere traps solar energy and causes the surface temperature to increase. |
| Galilean Moons | The four largest moons of Jupiter - Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. |
| Meteoroid | A small, rocky particle that moves though space. |
| Meteor | A streak of light in Earth's atmosphere made by a glowing meteorid. |
| Meteorite | A meteoroid that strikes a planet or moon. |
| Impact Crater | A round depression formed on the surface of a planet, moon, or other space object by the impact of a meteorite. |