Pluto and friends
This object was discovered in 1801. It was thought to be a planet, but later re-classified as an asteroid. Currently it is called a Dwarf Planet.
Ceres
Similar to Pluto, these two planets experience retrograde rotation. They spin clockwise about their axis whereas all the other planets spin counterclockwise as viewed from above the North Pole.
Venus and Uranus
When the illuminated portion of the Moon is getting smaller everyday. The Moon is headed from Full Moon to New Moon.
Waning
A small icy body that typically has a highly eccentric orbit around the Sun.
Comet
Pluto is located in this region of space.
Kuiper belt
This object is larger than Pluto, and was discovered in 2003. It was named after the goddess of discord.
Eris
This planet is the hottest planet in our solar system due to the greenhouse effect.
Venus
When the illuminated portion of the Moon is getting larger everyday. The Moon is moving from the New Moon to Full Moon phase.
Waxing
A space rock which falls through the atmosphere of Earth and actually strikes the surface of the Earth.
Meterorite
Pluto has this number of Moons.
Five
What criteria to be a planet does a dwarf planet not meet?
"Cleared the neighborhood"
This planet was originally thought to be a star, but William Hershel realized it was a planet in 1781.
Uranus
When more than half of the Moon appears to be illuminated, but it is not quite a Full Moon.
Gibbous
When a space object enters Earth's atmosphere at high speed and burn up. Sometimes called a shooting star.
Meteor
The longest diameter of an ellipse (runs through both foci).
Major Axis
List the TWO criteria to be a planet which a dwarf planet DOES meet.
1.) Orbit the Sun
2.) Spherical Shape
This planet was discovered through mathematics and observed in 1846.
Neptune
When the Earth is directly between the Sun and Moon the Moon is in this phase. The Moon should appear completely illuminated unless there is an eclipse.
Full Moon
The largest moon around Pluto. Pluto and this object orbit each other like a double planet system.
Charon
This is the place in the orbit of a planet when the planet is furthest from the Sun.
Aphelion
Asteroid Belt
The four largest moons of this planet were discovered by Galileo and helped him argued for a heliocentric model of the solar system.
Jupiter
When less than half of the Moon appears illuminated, but the Moon is no longer in the New Moon phase.
Crescent
A space rock bigger than a grain of dust but smaller than an asteroid.
Meteroid
This is the point in the orbit of a planet when it is closest to the Sun.
Perihelion