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Solar system
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astronomical unit | Used to measure far distance in space 1 AU=distance for earth to the sun |
| Meteoroid | Chunk of rock smaller than an asteroid |
| Meteor | Streak of light |
| Meteorite | Space rock found on earth |
| Asteroid | Millions of small rocky objects that orbit 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 |
| Inner planets | Terrestrial planets Solid and rocky Mercury Venus earth and mars |
| Outer planets | Gas giants Made of ice and gas Rings and moons Hydrogen and helium Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune |
| Jupiter | Largest planet Galilean moons Great red spot |
| Saturn | Most complex ring system Least dense planet Home of Titan-a moon |
| Uranus | Rotates axis is tilted 90 degrees so it rotates like a bowling ball |
| Neptune | Longest period of revolution Swirling storms-windiest planet |
| Gas giants | Nickname for the outer planets |
| Galilean moons | Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto |
| Dwarf planet | Pluto was the first Same as planets but not larger than its neighbors Ceres in the asteroid belt |