the Sun and all of the planets and other bodies that travel around it.

describes something that uses Earth as the reference point

the apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from different locations.

a force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses

the path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space.

in the orbit of a planet or other body in the solar system, the point that is farthest from the sun

the point in a planet’s orbit where it is closest to the Sun.

the inward force required to keep a particle or an object moving in a circular path

a rotating cloud of gas and dust from which the Sun and planets formed.

a small body from which a planet formed in the early solar system.

the process in which small atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus and release energy.

a dark, cooler area on the Sun’s surface with a strong magnetic field.

a sudden explosive release of energy from the Sun caused by magnetic disturbances.

a loop of glowing gas that extends above the Sun’s surface.

one of the dense inner planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

the average distance between Earth and the sun; approximately 150 million kilometers; symbol: AU

a planet that has a deep, massive atmosphere, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune

a disk of matter that surrounds a planet and is made of many particles in orbit, ranging from dust to larger objects.

a celestial body that orbits the sun, is round because of its own gravity, but has not cleared its orbital path

a region of the solar system that is just beyond the orbit of Neptune and that contains small bodies made mostly of ice

one of the hundreds or thousands of minor planet-sized objects that orbit the sun in a flat belt beyond Neptune’s orbit

a small body that gives off gas and dust as it passes close to the sun; a typical comet moves in an elliptical orbit around the sun and is made of dust and frozen gases

a spherical region that surrounds the solar system, extends from the Kuiper Belt to nearly halfway to the nearest star, and contains billions of comets.

a small, rocky object that orbits the sun; most asteroids are located in a band between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

a relatively small, rocky body that travels through space.

a bright streak of light that happens when a meteoroid burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.

a meteoroid that reaches Earth’s surface without burning up completely.

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Unit 3

The Solar System

Term	Definition
solar system	the Sun and all of the planets and other bodies that travel around it.
heliocentric	sun-centered
geocentric	describes something that uses Earth as the reference point
parallax	the apparent shift in the position of an object when viewed from different locations.
gravity	a force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses
orbit	the path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space.
aphelion	in the orbit of a planet or other body in the solar system, the point that is farthest from the sun
perihelion	the point in a planet’s orbit where it is closest to the Sun.
centripetal force	the inward force required to keep a particle or an object moving in a circular path
solar nebula	a rotating cloud of gas and dust from which the Sun and planets formed.
planetesimal	a small body from which a planet formed in the early solar system.
nuclear fusion	the process in which small atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus and release energy.
sunspot	a dark, cooler area on the Sun’s surface with a strong magnetic field.
solar flare	a sudden explosive release of energy from the Sun caused by magnetic disturbances.
prominence	a loop of glowing gas that extends above the Sun’s surface.
terrestrial planet	one of the dense inner planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
astronomical unit	the average distance between Earth and the sun; approximately 150 million kilometers; symbol: AU
gas giant	a planet that has a deep, massive atmosphere, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune
planetary ring	a disk of matter that surrounds a planet and is made of many particles in orbit, ranging from dust to larger objects.
dwarf planet	a celestial body that orbits the sun, is round because of its own gravity, but has not cleared its orbital path
Kuiper Belt	a region of the solar system that is just beyond the orbit of Neptune and that contains small bodies made mostly of ice
Kuiper Belt object	one of the hundreds or thousands of minor planet-sized objects that orbit the sun in a flat belt beyond Neptune’s orbit
comet	a small body that gives off gas and dust as it passes close to the sun; a typical comet moves in an elliptical orbit around the sun and is made of dust and frozen gases
Oort cloud	a spherical region that surrounds the solar system, extends from the Kuiper Belt to nearly halfway to the nearest star, and contains billions of comets.
asteroid	a small, rocky object that orbits the sun; most asteroids are located in a band between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
meteoroid	a relatively small, rocky body that travels through space.
meteor	a bright streak of light that happens when a meteoroid burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.
meteorite	a meteoroid that reaches Earth’s surface without burning up completely.

Created by: Kesly Sterling

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