click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Solar System
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astronomical Unit | Used to measure far distances in space 1 AU=distance from earth to sun |
| Meteoroid | Chuck of rock smaller than asteroid |
| Meteor | Streak of light |
| Meteorite | Space rock found on Earth |
| Asteroids | Millions of small rocket objects that obit the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter |
| Comets | Made of gas , dust , and ice, revolve around the Sun in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud |
| Inner planets | Terrestrial planets Solid and rocky Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars |
| Outer planets | Gas Giants Made of ice and gas Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune Rings and Moons Hydrogen and Helium |
| Mercury | Closest planet to the sun NOT THE HOTTEST-so small it lacks gravity and atmosphere |
| Venus | Hottest planet Greenhouse effect Day is longer than a year-rotation time is longer than it’s revolution Acid clouds |
| Earth | Only planet with know life Moderate temperatures Protected atmosphere Liquid water |
| Mars | Largest known mountain-Olympus Mons Possible signs of life |
| Terrestrial planets | The four inner planets |
| Greenhouse effect | Occurs when a planets atmosphere traps solar energy and causes the temperature to increase |
| Jupiter | Largest planet Galilean moons Great Reed Spot |
| Saturn | Most complex ring system Least dense planet - it would float Home of Titan- a moon |
| Uranus | Rotation axis is tilted 90 degrees so rotates like a bowling ball |
| Neptune | Longest period of Revolution Swirling storms- windiest planet |
| Gas Giants | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Nickname for the 4 outer planets |
| Galilean Moons | 4 moons Galileo discovered around Jupiter lo, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto |
| Dwarf Planet | Pluto was the first Same as planet but not larger than its neighbors Ceres in the asteroid belt |