Asteroid Alert! Vocabulary

What is a rocky object that orbits the Sun?

• Meteorite

• Asteroid

• Comet

• Crater

Which term describes an object that exists in the Universe, such as a planet or star?

• Meteor

• Celestial object

• Orbit

• Crater

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

What is a large, bowl-shaped hole in the ground usually caused by explosions or impacts?

• Meteorite

• Comet

• Crater

• Asteroid

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

What is a meteor that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere and hit the ground called?

• Meteorite

• Asteroid

• Comet

• Meteoroid

Which term describes a large, spherical object in space that orbits a star and is large enough that its gravity clears other objects from its orbit?

• Comet

• Planet

• Meteor

• Asteroid

What is a lump of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbits the Sun?

• Meteor

• Asteroid

• Comet

• Meteoroid

What is space debris that heats up as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and appears as a streak of light?

• Meteor

• Asteroid

• Comet

• Meteorite

What is a small piece of rock or ice that has broken off an asteroid or comet?

• Meteorite

• Meteoroid

• Crater

• Orbit

What is the curved path a planet or object takes as it travels through space?

• Orbit

• Crater

• Meteor

• Comet

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

An object in space with an orbit that will bring it close to Earth

• Celestial object

• Near-Earth object (NEO)

• Meteorite

• Comet

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4