Unit 3: Our Place in the Solar System

Front

the spaceflight that landed the first humans on the moon

Back

Apollo 11

Front

a man-made object that is in orbit around another object; often for communication or to gather data

Back

artificial satellite

Front

a small, rocky body that orbits the sun

Back

asteroid

Front

the path along which most asteroids orbit the sun, located between Mars and Jupiter

Back

asteroid belt

Front

the imaginary line around which an object rotates

Back

axis

Front

small object made of ice, gas, and dust that orbit the sun mainly in the Kuiper Belt, past Neptune

Back

comet

Front

a round object in the solar system that is similar to a planet but with gravity that is too weak to disturb its neighbors

Back

dwarf planet

Front

an event in which one object passes into the shadow of another object

Back

eclipse

Front

occurs when the plane of Earth’s equator aligns with the center of the sun’s disk, causing day and night to be equal (12 hours each) around the world; occurs approximately March 20 and September 22 each year

Back

equinox

Front

one of the four outer planets made mostly of thick gaseous materials: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune

Back

gas giant