Vocabulary
What is the word for the eight planets, and their moons, in orbit around the sun?
The solar system
What is the largest planet?
Jupiter
Day and night is caused by Earth's __________
Rotation
What is the closest planet to the sun?
Mercury
A _______________ is a ball of ice and dust found in space, and often appears to have a "tail".
comet
What is the word for a pattern or picture in the sky made of stars?
Constellation
True or false: the sun is the biggest and brightest star in the whole universe
False
Seasons are caused by Earth's ___________
revolution
Which two planets are Earth's neighbors?
Mars and Venus
An ______________ is a small, rocky object that orbits the sun. Most are found in the _________ belt.
Asteroid
What is the word for a ball of gasses and plasma?
Star
What is the word for the path a planet takes as it moves around the sun? (similar to a revolution)
Orbit
The time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the sun is
Which is the only planet that can sustain life?
Earth
An object smaller than an asteroid or a comet but still floating in space (not in Earth's atmosphere) is called a _____________.
Meteoroid
Which word means to spin in place?
Rotation
Our galaxy is called the ___________?
Milky Way
The time it takes for the moon to revolve around the Earth is
28 days
Which four planets are found before the asteroid belt?
Mercury, Mars, Earth, and Venus
A meteoroid which enters the Earth's atmosphere is called a _____________.
Which word means a complete orbit around another object, usually the sun or a plane?
Revolution
What is the word for a system of stars and other objects bound together by gravity?
Galaxy
The time it takes the Earth to complete one rotation is
24 hours
Which four planets are considered the "gas giants"?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
A meteor which hits the Earth's surface is called a _____________.
Meteorite