Name Game
What is an asteroid?
small objects made up of ice and rock
Which planet is the largest?
Jupiter
What distinguishes a dwarf planet from a planet?
Mass
What causes planets and other objects to revolve around the Sun?
Gravity--the Sun is pulling the object toward it
What does an astronomical unit (AU) measure?
the distance between Earth and the Sun
Small pieces of rock that enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up are called what?
meteors
Which planet is the smallest?
Mercury
What is a common trait of the inner planets in regards to their layers?
They all have a solid outer layer
How would you describe a planet's speed as it orbits the Sun?
It increases and then decreases
Why doesn't Mercury have an atmosphere?
It's too small to have strong enough gravity
What is a meteorite?
pieces of rock that strike the surface of a moon or planet
What 2 gases are the outer planets mainly composed of?
Hydrogen & helium
Which inner planet is hottest?
Venus
What is the shape of a planet's orbit?
Elliptical/ ellipse
round depression formed on the surface of a planet, moon, or other object by the impact of a meteorite
Which planet has 13 moons?
Neptune
Tell me one way the inner & outer planets are similar.
Orbit the sun; some each have moons;
it's tilted on its side
What is the difference between period of revolution and period of rotation?
Revolution-- time it takes an object to travel once around the sun
Rotation-- time it takes an object to complete one rotation on its axis
Define a comet AND names its parts.
Comet: made of gas, dust, and ice and move around the sun in an oval-shaped orbit.
Parts-- tail, coma, nucleus
Which planet is known for its iron oxide and polar ice caps?
Mars
Inner--rocky with iron cores, smaller in size
Outer-- made up of gases, larger in size
What are the 3 things must an object have to be considered a planet?
1. needs to be nearly spherical
2. orbit the sun
3. mass must be greater than the total mass of orbiting objects near by
Name the planets in order.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune