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Astronomy Book Vocabulary
Chapter 3/Sections 3-5
14
Astronomy
8th Grade
06/26/2005

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Term
terrestrial planets
Definition
the name often given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
Term
greenhouse effect
Definition
the trapping of heat by a planet's atmosphere
Term
gas giant
Definition
the name often given to the first four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Term
comet
Definition
a loose collection of ice, dust, and small rocky particles, typically with a long, narrow orbit
Term
asteroids
Definition
rocky objects revolving around the sun that are too small and numerous to be considered planets
Term
asteroid belt
Definition
the region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where many asteroids are found
Term
meteoroid
Definition
a chunk of rock or dust in space
Term
meteor
Definition
a streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere
Term
meteorite
Definition
a meteoroid that passes through the atmosphere and hits Earth's surface
Term
ring
Definition
a thin disk of small ice and rock particles surrounding a planet
Term
Oort cloud
Definition
a spherical region of comets that surrounds the solar system
Term
coma
Definition
the fuzzy outer layer of a comet
Term
nucleus
Definition
the solid inner core of a comet
Term
Kuiper belt
Definition
a doughnut-shaped region that stretches from around Pluto's orbit to about 100 times Earth's distance from the sun
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