Space Vocab
Asteroid
A small rocky body orbiting the sun.
Asteroid Belt
The region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Atmosphere
A mixture of gasses that surrounds a planet or moon.
Comet
A ball of frozen dust and rock that orbits the sun and has a tail.
Crater
A large round pit caused by the impact of a meteoroid.
Galaxy
A collection of stars,dust,and gas bound together by gravity.
Gas Giant
The outer planets
Gravity
A force that pulls objects towards each other
Planets
A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star
Moon
A natural object that orbits a planet
Milky Way
The Galaxy containing the solar system
Orbit
The path of an object follows as it moves around another object
Revolution
The movement of an object around another object
Rotation
The spinning motion of a planet on its axis
Solar System
The collection of eight planets in their moons that orbit around the sun
Star
A ball of hot gas primarily hydrogen and helium that undergoes nuclear fusion.
Terrestrial
The name of the inner planets
Dwarf Planet
A Celestial body resembling a small planet but lacking certain technical criteria that are required for it to be classified as such.
Light Year
The distance light travels in one year
Kuiper Belt
A region of the solar system that is just beyond the orbit of Neptune
Meteor
A small body of matter from outer space that enters Earth's atmosphere and appears as a streak of light.
Universe
A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon