Term | Definition |
Geocentric | Earth is at the center of the solar system. Ptolemy thought this. |
Heliocentric | The sun is at the center of the solar system. Copernicus and Galileo supported this. |
Ellipse | Elongated circles. Kepler discovered this. |
Inertia | The other factor that combines with gravity to keep the planets in orbit. Newton thought of this. |
Nuclear Fusion | When hydrogen atoms combine and turn into helium. |
Core | The center of the sun. |
Photosphere | The part of the sun that can be seen |
Chromosphere | "Crown" only seen during solar eclipses. A ring that looks like a halo. |
Corona | The "spikes or rays" on the sun. Extends millions of kilometers into space. |
Solar Wind | A stream of charged particles. Causes auroras. |
Sunspot | Spots on the sun that appear dark because they are cooler than the rest of the sun. |
Prominence | Looping masses of gas on the sun's surface. |
Solar Flare | Huge explosions of gas. Emits many charged particles. |
Terrestrial Planets | The inner planets. They are hard, and rocky. These include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. |
Retrograde Rotation | Rotating opposite of most planets. East to West. |
Greenhouse Effect | The trapping of heat by a planets atmosphere. |
Gas Giant | The four outer planets. These include Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune. They do not have a solid surface. |
Comet | A giant ball of ice and dust. Many comets come from the Kuiper Belt. |
Asteroid | |
Asteroid Belt | |
Meteor | |
Meteoroid | |
Meteorite | |
Extraterrestrial Life | |