Vocabulary
An imaginary line around which an object spins
Axis
How much time passes on Earth with one full revolution around the sun?
365 1/4 days or one full year
Sun
A medium-sized yellow dwarf star that is in the middle of our solar system.
Moon
Any natural body that revolves around a planet.
The order of the planets in our Solar System.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
One whole spin of an object on its Axis.
Rotation
When the moon orbits the Earth, about how many days till the moon phases start over again?
The moon's revolution around Earth lasts about 28 days.
Jupiter
The 5th planet in our solar system with the largest mass of all the planets.
It has a large red spot that is a giant storm.
The gravitational pull of Jupiter attracts asteroids towards the planet allowing for the inner planets to have fewer collisions with celestial bodies.
Comet
A frozen mass of ice, rocks, and dirt that orbits the sun and has what appears to be a tail that is bits and pieces of the comet breaking off into space.
Where in the solar system are the dwarf planets?
They are in the Asteroid Belt and the Kuiper Belt.
One full orbit around the sun.
revolution
One rotation of the Earth causes
Day & Night
Earth
The 3rd planet from the sun
Has the characteristics to support life - not too hot or cold, water in all forms - solid, liquid, and gas.
It the only planet humans have been on (so far)
Asteroid
A rocky mass that can be large or small that revolves around the sun.
Which planets are considered terrestrial and why?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are terrestrial because they are all made up of rocky materials.
An explosive eruption of waves and particles into space.
Solar Flare
How long does it take for one rotation of the Earth?
24 hours
Uranus
It is the 7th planet from the sun.
Is a blue color due to the methane gas in its atmosphere.
Spins on its axis sideways (like a roll of toilet paper!)
Meteors
An asteroid that has entered the Earth's atmosphere and burns up before hitting the ground.
Which planets are considered the ice giants and why?
Uranus and Neptune are considered ice giants because they are so far away from the sun and icy cold.
A group of stars that forms a pattern
Constellation
Remy was looking at the image of Mars' orbit. What was he looking at?
A slightly oval circle that the planet Mars would to represent what a years time would be.
Venus
Is the 2nd planet from the sun.
Is the hottest planet in the solar system.
Has a thick acid atmosphere that reflects the suns light making it the brightest planet in the solar system.
Meteoroid
An asteroid that has not entered the Earth's atmosphere and is floating in outer space.
When putting the planets in order there are certain boundaries that identify where the dwarf planets hide. What are these boundaries and why do they identify dwarf planets?
The dwarf planets are in the Asteroid Belt and the Kuiper Belt and because their orbits are not cleared (all the asteroids are in the area) they are classified as dwarfs. Like planets, they do orbit the sun and have achieved enough mass for a spherical shape, but unlike the planets have not yet cleared their orbit