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Stack #4595570
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Astronomical unit | Used to measure far distances in space 1 AU=distance from earth to sun |
| Meteoroid | Chunk of rock smaller than asteroid |
| Meteor | Streak of light |
| Meteorite | Space rock found 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, 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 |
| Planet | Spherical, orbits the Sun , clears its orbit |
| 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 |
| Earth | * Only planet with known life * moderate temperature * 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 planet’s atmosphere traps Solar energy and causes the temperatures to increase |
| Jupiter | * Largest planet * Galilean moons * Great Red Spot |
| Saturn | * Most complex ring system * Least dense planet- it would float * Titan-Largest 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 Nickname for the 4 outer planets |
| Galilean moons | 4 moons Galileo discovered around Jupiter Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto |
| Dwarf planets | Pluto was the first Same as planet but not larger than its neighbors Ceres is in the asteroid belt |