Planet Vocabulary List
Name: _________________________________ # ________ Date_________________________
Draw a visual record of what you learned. Include 2 to 3 sentences
explaining your picture. This is to be neatly typed, and colored, NO
PENCIL!!! Vocabulary word or part of definition should be included in
sentence. Some boxes include special direction so pay attention to
specific directions. This will be due The Day of The Test.
asteroids: irregular shaped celestial object made of carbon,
metal or rock that orbit about the sun and generally found
between Mars and Jupiter.
celestial objects: all of the different objects in space that make
up our universe.
comets: celestial objects made up of dust, ice, and gases that
orbit the sun in a large, elliptical course.
Constellation: a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern
that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified
with a mythological figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky1
into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries.
distance: a measure of the amount of space between objects.
Fun Fact about Measuring Distances in Space!
And you thought I was torturing you with triangles in geometry!
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galaxy:a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitat
ion and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space.
Three main types of galaxies
gravity: the attraction of one mass to another
gravitational force: the measurement of two masses the pull
of gravity.
force: strength or power exerted upon an object; power to
influence or control another. An object at rest tends to stay at
rest unless acted upon by an outside force or object.
Light year a unit of length in astronomy equal to the distance
that light travels in one year in a vacuum or about 5.88 trillion
miles (9.46 trillion kilometers)
mass: the amount of matter in something
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meteoroid:
Meteoroid
Meteor
Meteorite
meteor: one of the small particles of matter in the solar
system that is visible when it falls into Earth’s atmosphere
meteorite
Make sure you illustrate the difference in the three!
Add the missing definitions.
Milky Way Galaxy: The galaxy containing our solar system;
consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band
of light stretching across the night sky
planet: a celestial object, larger than asteroids or comets, that
revolves around a star without giving off its own light.,
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn ,Uranus,
Neptune, Pluto.
satellite: a natural or man-made object that revolves around
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larger objects in space.
scale: objects compared to a standard for accurate size
perception.
solar system: the system made up of the nine unique planets,
and many smaller objects that orbit the sun
speed of light: Light travels at a constant, finite speed of 186,000
mi/sec.
stars: celestial objects that consist of gases which generate
light and heat
Sun: the star that is the basis of the solar system and sustains
life on Earth as the source of heat and light
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telescope: an instrument that magnifies, or makes distant
objects appear larger
Universe : All content of intergalactic space including its
energy, galaxies, stars, and solar system and all the contests of
the whole.
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