The average distance between Earth and the Sun
Astronomical unit
The planets in order from the closest to the sun to furthest away.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Oval shaped orbit centered on two points instead of one
ellipse
This planet is the second largest in our solar system and is known for its rings.
Saturn
This planet is farthest away from the sun and is often shown to have a beautiful blue color. It is also known as the windiest planet.
Neptune
They are the rocky and small planets.
terrestrial or inner planets
The scientists that first modeled the solar system as heliocentric (sun at the center)
Copernicus and Galileo
The Sun is a-
star
This planet is a neighbor to Earth and is also know as the "Red Planet" due to having iron oxide on it's surface.
Mars
The apparent motion of a planet moving in an opposite direction than normal planetary motion
retrograde
They are very large planets and made of gases.
Gas giants or outer planets
What is a meteor sometimes called?
a shooting star
The center of our solar system and what all the planets revolve around.
Sun (star)
Stars and planets form from gas and dust called-
Interstellar clouds
This "orbiting belt" is filled with uneven rocks of all sizes and it splits the solar system between the inner and outer planets.
asteroid belt
Objects that collided and merged to form other various objects in the solar system(like planets)
Planetismals
A large and uneven rock that orbits in space.
asteroid
Gravity is the "secret sauce" that holds the solar system together. True or false?
true
This planet is the smallest, closest to the sun and resembles our moon with it's many large impact craters.
Mercury
Comets develop a tail that can extend far behind and also glows when it orbits close to the sun. True or false?
true
When a meteor strikes the Earth we call it this.
meteorite
After a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and lights up, it is called this.
meteor
Objects in space that have more mass also have more of this.
What is gravity?
Most comets live beyond this planet.
Neptune
This is the brightest planet in the sky due mostly to the way it reflects the suns light. It can sometimes be seen during the day and is roughly the size of the Earth.
Venus