click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
8 - Mod 5 Lesson 2
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Asteroids | a small rocky body orbiting the sun |
| Big Bang Theory | a THEORY about the creation of the UNIVERSE |
| Celestial Sphere | giant spinning dome that the Greeks thought surrounded the Earth |
| coma | the outer layer of dust and gas around a comet |
| Comet | a ball of ice and dust that orbits around the sun in a long, narrow ellipse |
| comet tail | Produced when a comet's orbit brings it close to the sun and the dust and ice heat up. Always points away from the sun. |
| constellation | A group of stars that form a pattern in the sky |
| Geocentric | A model of the universe in which Earth is at the center of the revolving planets and stars. |
| Gravity | The attractive force between objects with mass |
| Heliocentric | A model of the solar system in which Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun |
| Meteorite | when a meteoroid burns in the atmosphere and hits the ground |
| Meteoroid | a chunk of rock or dust in space that comes from comets or asteroids |
| Meteors | the streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere |
| Milky Way | the galaxy to which Earth and other components of our Solar System belong |
| Nucleus | the solid core of a comet |
| Planet | a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star. |
| Revolution | the movement of one object around another; ex. Earth around the sun, year; 365 1/4 days |
| Rotation | The spinning motion of a planet on its axis; ex. Earth spinning on its axis, day and night (24 hours) |
| scientific model | a representation of an object or event that can be studied to understand the real object or event |
| star | A ball of hot gas, primarily hydrogen and helium, that undergoes nuclear fusion. |