Scale of the Solar System Vocabulary

What is the name of... the streak of light seen when a space rock enters the atmosphere and starts burning up, also known as a “falling star”

• comet
• asteroid
• meteor
• meteorite

What is the name of... If a meteor doesn’t entirely burn up, a piece of space rock that lands on Earth?

• meteorite
• meteor
• comet
• planet

What is... a huge object in space made up of gas and giving off light and heat from nuclear reactions?

• planet
• comet
• star
• galaxy

What is... a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star?

• sun
• galaxy
• asteroid
• planet

What is... a natural object that revolves around a planet?

• moon
• meteor
• sun
• atmosphere

What is... a rock in orbit generally between Mars and Jupiter? Sometimes, they get bounced towards Earth.

• moon
• asteroid
• comet
• satellite

What is... a chunk of ice and rock originating from the outer solar system, often accompanied by a coma and tail?

• moon
• asteroid
• meteor
• comet

What is the name of Earth's galaxy?

• Starburst
• Kepler
• Milky Way
• Andromeda

What is... a group of millions of stars?

• solar system
• galaxy
• asteroid belt
• universe

What is... the path an object in space follows as it revolves around another object, such as Earth around the sun or a satellite around Earth?

• circle
• orbit
• path
• rotation