Solar System Vocabulary

Front

apparent

Back

how something looks

Front

asteroid

Back

a chunk of rock in space that orbits the sun

Front

characteristic

Back

a trait that can help identify something

Front

comet

Back

chunk of rock, dust, and ice with stretched-out orbits around the sun

Front

inner planets

Back

the four rocky planets closest to the sun

Front

moon

Back

a large, round piece of rock and ice that revolves around a planet

Front

orbit

Back

the curved path of an object around a star, a planet, or a moon

Front

outer planet

Back

the four large planets farthest from the sun that are made of ice and gases

Front

solar system

Back

the planets, asteroids, and comets that orbit the sun, as well as the planets’ moons

Front

star

Back

a giant ball or hot, glowing matter