Vocab Solar System Part 1

asteroid

• small rocky body that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter

• large gas giant located beyond the orbit of Neptune

• frozen mass of ice and dust that travels through space

• 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

Planetesimal

• small icy bodies that formed the outer planets

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

• large gaseous formations in the universe

• massive stars that exploded in supernovae

Kuiper Belt

• Region beyond Mars; location of asteroids and meteoroids

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

• Region within the asteroid belt; primarily composed of rocky materials

• Region near the Sun; home to the inner planets

nebula (pl. nebulae)

• a type of star

• a cloud of interstellar gas and dust

• a planet in formation

• a black hole

Astronomical Unit (AU)

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

• A unit of measurement for the brightness of stars

• The distance light travels in one year

• A measure of the mass of celestial bodies

parallax

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

• the optical illusion of an object moving when viewed from different angles

• the effect of light bending as it passes through different mediums

• the change in color of an object when viewed under different lighting conditions

Dwarf planet

• 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.

• A large planet that has cleared its orbital path of other debris.

• A small asteroid that orbits the sun in the asteroid belt.

• A moon that orbits a planet and has a spherical shape.

planet

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

• a celestial body that is smaller than a star and does not orbit the Sun

• a large mass of gas that emits light and heat through nuclear fusion

• a solid object that orbits a planet and is not spherical in shape

terrestrial planets

• The planets that are composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals.

• The planets that are primarily made of gas and ice.

• The planets that have no solid surface and are mostly liquid.

• The planets that are located farthest from the sun.

Jovian planet

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

• planets that are primarily composed of rock and metal

• planets that have a solid surface and are smaller than Earth

• planets that orbit close to the Sun and have high temperatures