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Solar System
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astronomical unit | Used to measure fat distances in space 1 AU distance to the earth to the sun. |
| Meteoroid | Chuck of rock smaller than an asteroid |
| Meteor | Streak of light |
| Meteorite | Space rock found in space on earth |
| Asteroids | Millions of small rocky objects that orbit the Sun in the asteroid belt between mars and Jupiter. |
| Comets | Made of gas dust and ice and revolve around the sun in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud |
| Inner planets | Solid Rocky mercury Venus earth mars |
| Outer planets | Gas giants made up of ice and gas moons and rings hydrogen helium |
| Mercury | Closet planet from the sun Not the hottest so small it lacks gravity and atmosphere |
| Venus | Hottest planet Greenhouse effect Day is longer than a year Acid clouds |
| Earth | Only planet with known life Moderate temperatures Protective 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 red spot |
| Saturn | Most complex ring system Least dense planet it would float home of titan moon |
| Uranus | Rotation axis is titled 90 degrees so rotates like a bowling ball |
| Neptune | Longest period of revolution swirling storms windiest planet |
| Gas Giants | Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune |
| Gailiean Moons | Io Europa Ganymede Callisto |
| Dwarf planet | Pluto was the first Same as planet but not larger than its neighbors Ceres in the asteroid belt |