Vocab Solar System Part 1

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Planetesimal

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small rocky debris that accreted to form larger rocky clumps; led to the formation of the planets

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asteroid

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small rocky body that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter or beyond the orbit of Neptune; leftover debris from the formation of the planets

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Jovian planet

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planets with relatively small rocky or icy cores surrounded by swirling gaseous atmospheres

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Astronomical Unit (AU)

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The average distance between Earth and the Sun; used as a standard for measuring distances in the solar system

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Kuiper Belt

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Region beyond Neptune; location of asteroids, comets and other unused debris during the formation of the solar system

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terrestrial planets

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The planets that are composed primarily of silicate rocks (like sand) or metals,

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planet

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orbits the Sun; nearly spherical in shape due to it large mass; has cleared its orbit of (most) debris

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Dwarf planet

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A celestial body that orbits the sun and has enough mass to assume a nearly round shape but has not cleared its orbital path of other debris.

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parallax

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the apparent change in position of an object due to the change in position of the observer

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nebula (pl. nebulae)

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a cloud of interstellar gas and dust