Vocabulary
Inner Planets
Outer Planets
Inner or Outer?

Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors
100

A mass of frozen gasses, dust, and rock particles that begins to melt as it nears the sun and develops a bright tail. Called "dirty snowballs".

What is a comet?

100

This planet has the largest volcano, named Olympus Mons, in the solar system.

What is Mars?

100

The largest planet in our solar system; mostly gas and liquid; has continuous storms

What is Jupiter?

100

This planet is referred to as the red planet because of the iron oxide in the rocks on its surface.

What is Mars.

100

Shooting stars are actually these space rocks.

What is a meteor?

200

A meteor that does not completely burn up in Earth's atmosphere and strikes Earth's surface

What is a meteorite?

200

The smallest planet closest to the sun

What is Mercury?

200

This planet has 18 moons. The largest moon is named Titan.

What is Saturn?

200

This large gaseous planet has a blue-green color, no cloud bands, and tilted on its side.

What is Uranus?

200

Comets are thought to come from this "belt" found near the orbit of Neptune.

What is the Kuiper Belt?

300

One of these is equal to the average distance from the sun to Earth or 150 million kilometers.

What is one astronomical unit?

300

How much of Earth's surface is covered with water giving it a blue color from space? 

70%

300

This planet has prominent rings around it and could float on water because it is the least dense of all the planets

What is Saturn?

300

This planet's atmosphere causes most meteors to burn up before they reach its surface.

What is Earth?

300

This "cloud" completely surrounds our solar system and contains most of the existing comets

What is the Oort Cloud?

400

A giant, swirling, high-pressure gas storm in Jupiter's atmosphere

What is the Great Red Spot?

400

Similar to Earth, this planet has both a winter season and a summer season, however, probes have shown this planet is lifeless, barren, and rocky.

What is Mars?

400

This planet's moon, Io, is the most volcanically active object in the solar system.

What is Jupiter?

400

Called "Earth's Twin"

What is Venus?

400

This asteroid has now been placed into the category of the Dwarf Planets because it is the largest asteroid.

What is Ceres?

500

The system of nine planets and many other objects that orbit our sun.

What is the Solar System?

500

This planet has the highest surface temperature because it's dense clouds trap the carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid in the atmosphere.

What is Venus?

500

This planet's axis of rotation is tilted on its side.

What is Uranus?

500

This planet has a very thin atmosphere and extreme temperatures.

What is Mercury?

500

The asteroid belt is located between these two planets.

What is Jupiter and Mars?