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Earth Science Gr7
Chapter 21
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| asteroid | a small, rocky object that orbits the Sun |
| comet | a small, rocky and icy object that orbits the Sun |
| astronomical unit | the average distance from Earth to the Sun--about 150 million km |
| period of revolution | the time it takes an object to travel once around the Sun |
| period of rotation | the time it takes an object to complete one rotation |
| terrestrial planet | Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars--the planets closest to the Sun that are made of rock and metallic minerals and have solid outer layers |
| greenhouse effect | the natural process that occurs when certain gases in the atmosphere absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the Sun |
| Galilean moons | the four largest of Jupiter's 63 moons discovered by Galileo |
| meteoroid | a small, rocky particle that moves through space |
| meteor | a meteoroid that has entered Earth's atmosphere and produces a streak of light |
| meteorite | a meteoroid that that strikes a planet or a moon |
| impact crater | a round depression formed on the surface of a planet, moon, or other space object by the impact of a meteorite |