1
Large objects that orbit the sun
Planets
Number of known planets
8
The 4 planets with orbits closest to the sun
Inner planets
The 4 planets with orbits farthest from the sun
Outer planets
Rocky objects that orbit the sun
Asteroids
Between what 2 planets are almost all asteroids located?
Mars and Jupiter
The area between Mars and Jupiter where asteroids orbit the sun is called what?
The Asteroid Belt
What are small planets with rocky surfaces called?
Terrestrial planets
What are large planets with surfaces made or gas called?
Gas Giants
Large objects that orbit the sun made of dust, small rocks, ice, and frozen gas
Comets
What is a meteor called after it hits Earth?
A meteorite
A rocky object that enters the Earth's atmosphere
Name one fact about Jupiter
- gas surface
- many moons
- has rings
- 5th planet
The bowl-shaped dent caused by a meteor
Crater
What does a comet develop when it comes close to the sun?
A tail
A comet has the nickname of what?
A dirty snowball
Meteoroids that enter the Earth's atmosphere and become hot enough to glow
A meteor
What do we usually call a meteor?
A shooting star
How many moons do the inner planets have?
0, 1, or 2
What is the shape of a comet's orbit?
Elliptical
Which planet orbits the sun in the LEAST amount of time?
A) Saturn
B) Earth
C) Neptune
D) Uranus
B) Earth
List the planets in order from nearest to farthest from the sun
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Chunks of small rocky, metallic, or icy objects that broke off from an asteroid or comet out in outer space
Meteoroid
What is the funny sentence we say to help us remember the order of the planets?
My Very Exhausted Mother Just Served Us Nachos
Why does it take Uranus longer than Earth to orbit the sun?
Uranus has a longer/bigger orbit