Vocabulary
Models
Earth's Motion
Planets
Miscellaneous
100

This is a massive ball of hot gas that produces its own light and energy.

Star

100

This shape describes the oval path planets follow around the Sun.

Ellipse

100

The longest or shortest day of the year is called?

Solstice

100

Our solar system is located within the

Milky Way

100

When day and night are nearly equal in length.

Equinox

200

This small piece of rock or dust burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Meteor

200

This model states Earth is at the center of the solar system

Geocentric

200

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice usually occurs in this month.

June
200

The hottest planet in our solar system.

Venus

200

This is an object’s tendency to resist changes in motion.

Inertia

300

The rise and fall of ocean water caused mainly by the Moon’s gravity.

Tide

300

This model states the Sun is at the center of the solar system.

Heliocentric
300

When Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.

Lunar Eclipse

300

The largest planet in our solar system

Jupiter

300

During this phase, the Moon is between Earth and the Sun and the moon appears mostly dark from Earth.

New Moon

400

This object is made of ice, dust, and rock and forms a glowing tail near the Sun.

Comet

400

This scientist improved the telescope and provided strong evidence supporting the heliocentric model by observing Jupiter’s moons

Galileo Galilei

400

When the Moon blocks the Sun.

Solar Eclipse

400

This planet rotates on its side, making its seasons very extreme.

Uranus

400

How many light minutes away is the Sun from Earth?

8 light minutes (That means sunlight takes about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth.)

500

This is the darkest part of a shadow during an eclipse, where all direct sunlight is completely blocked.

Umbra

500

What is the correct order of the planets?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

500

Why does a solar eclipse not happen every month, even though the Moon orbits Earth every month?

Because the Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted compared to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, so the Sun, Earth, and Moon are not perfectly aligned every month.

500

Approximately how many known moons does Jupiter have?

about 90. 95 to be exact

500

Explain why we have seasons

Earth’s tilt and revolution around the Sun

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