Unit 9, Topic 1: Life on Earth Vocabulary

planet

• a large celestial body that revolves around a star in a fixed orbit, reflecting light from that star

• a small rock that orbits a planet

• a massive star that emits its own light

• a collection of gas and dust in space

uninhabitable

• suitable for living in

• unsuitable for living in

• a place with abundant resources

• a location with extreme weather conditions

lithosphere / geosphere

• the earth itself including rocks, minerals, and landforms of the surface and interior

• the layer of gases surrounding the planet

• the liquid layer of the earth beneath the crust

• the outermost layer of the earth's atmosphere

atmosphere

• the layer of water surrounding the earth

• the gases surrounding earth, or another planet

• the solid surface of the earth

• the magnetic field of the earth

life

• any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing, excreting, breathing, moving, growing, reproducing, and responding to external stimuli

• a state of being that includes consciousness and self-awareness

• the ability to grow and develop without external influences

• a collection of organic compounds that can exist in various environments

solar system

• a group of planets and other bodies that revolve around a star

• a collection of stars in a galaxy

• a single planet orbiting a moon

• a cluster of asteroids in space

inhabitable

• suitable to live in; habitable

• unfit for living; desolate

• dangerous to inhabit; toxic

• unpleasant and uncomfortable

biosphere

• the regions of the earth occupied by living things

• a layer of the atmosphere

• the core of the Earth

• the surface of the moon

sphere

• a layer or system that makes up part of the earth

• a solid figure with all points equidistant from the center

• a flat, two-dimensional shape

• a type of celestial body

system

• a group of parts that work together as a whole

• a single component functioning independently

• a collection of unrelated items

• a method of organizing information